Frederikshavn then to Sweden

May 12, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

10 May, 2023

After breakfast we go in search of a laundromat. There is one about 8 minutes’ walk from the hotel but when we get there, today is one of the days that it is closed. And it’s coin operated rather than tap and pay. A job for tomorrow, then.

Thanks to our extensive travels yesterday we can have a ‘free’ day today which we spend planning our itinerary around Northern Europe during August-November as well as booking our flights from LHR5 to Warsaw return and a hire car for the period.

While Lynn double checks my proposed Northern European route I head down the street to check for some suitable restaurants for dinner tonight. There are not many good restaurants but I found a couple that may just do.

It has been mostly an “admin” day but we did accomplish a lot despite not getting the laundry done. There is not much excitement in this port town but it is nice to rest up a bit.

11 May, 2023

First priority this morning (after breakfast of course) is to get the laundry done, otherwise we may be spending our Gothenburg trip in smelly clothing. Not ideal.

The laundromat is open this time. I can’t understand why it isn’t open 24/7. It’s not like the place is manned. Lynn has a fist full of Danish coins as the stupid laundry doesn’t take cards or have a coin dispenser. We follow the instructions to the letter but can’t get the machines to work so Lynn calls the owner. Apparently you have to slam the machine door shut really hard. Our next attempt and the system swallows our coins so Lynn is back on the phone and while the owner is on the phone she goes next door to the cafe and the laundry owner negotiates with the cafe owner to refund our coins. It seems that the laundry owner is 2 hours away. Perhaps if he had better machines and proper instructions there may be less issues. Obviously the owner is Danish and like many others in this country haven’t heard of the KISS principle.

We finally get things working with a lot of heavy handedness and much swearing. At over A$10 per load plus drying costs you would think that the place should be gold plated.

We take a break and head back to the hotel for a soothing cup of A$10 per cup coffee and to acquire more coins, before returning to start the drying process. This works a bit better but at A$0.20 per minute to dry it bloody well had better work.

We wait out the process at the laundromat by flicking through some Danish magazines. They look like the equivalent of the old Australian Women’s Weekly with stories about the Danish and English Royal families, TV celebrities, recipes and a TV guide thrown in.

All done so back to the hotel again while Lynn does my ironing on a bench-top ironing board that it not much bigger than a laptop computer. Again, more swearing but it gets done.

Lynn has planned a couple of last-minute visits to do around Frederikshavn so back to the car but the first stop at the Frederikshavn Church is about 100 meters from the hotel. Why did we drive I asked? “Because we have a couple more sites to visit”, is the answer. Interesting, because the next stop at the Krudttarnet Magazine is only across the road from the first stop. Confused, I am.

I didn’t bother to get out of the car at the church. It will probably be locked (it was) and we were illegally parked. The reason for the photo is because this is the first time we have seen a church like this in Denmark, rather than the traditional white ones with the large tower at one end with stepped roofline. Across the street is our next stop. It takes longer to drive there than walking. Just the driver today….

Krudttårnet (Danish for “gunpowder tower”) is a former gunpowder magazine and fortification in Frederikshavn, Denmark.

The tower was built in 1687, as a central component of Frederikshavn’s fortress. The fortress, originally called the Fladstrand fortress before the town was renamed in the early 19th century, was built to secure the northernmost useful anchorage on the eastern coast of Jutland. This anchorage was a strategically important site for ships sailing to Norway, and played a role in conflicts including the Great Northern War and the Gunboat War. The tower is now the only part of the citadel still standing, but is no longer in the original location: in 1974 it was moved by 270 meters to make room for an expansion of Frederikshavn’s shipyard, a move that took 13 months to carry out.

The last stop of the day is at Palm Beach. I just can’t imagine palms on a beach in sub -rctic Denmark but I will play along. At least this stop is about 6 km away so it justifies starting the car.

Close to Nordstrand Camping and Rønnerhavnen is the palm-lined beach of Palmestranden, which is Frederikshavn’s local and child-friendly beach with an exotic atmosphere and many activities.

There are about 100 palm trees on the beach from May to September. There are volleyball courts, petanque lanes and a barbecue area on the beach, and there is free use of the sun loungers.

Free sun lounges for the 3 weeks a year when it is warm enough to swim.

The well-kept city beach is the only beach in Denmark where you can see real palm trees. During the winter they are moved to huge greenhouses, and in May they return to the beach.

I think that the Danes are betting on global warming.

While still wearing our warm boots and socks we test the water temperature. It can’t be more than about 5 Deg C. Stick with Curling, guys!

12 May, 2023

This afternoon we are taking the ferry from Frederikshavn to Gothenburg across the Kattegat Strait. The ferry doesn’t depart until 13:50 so we have a late checkout at midday. As we mentioned earlier two of our nights at the Best Western in Frederikshavn were on points and the third was paid. At check out Best Western seems to have screwed up their accounting and we were told by reception that we didn’t have enough points for the two nights. After going online it seems that Best Western have debited and credited the points process a number of times and made a real mess of things. I emailed the account transactions to the receptionist and left it with them to deal with Best Western. Off to a great start today….

We arrived at the ferry about 20 minutes before check in started but they opened the process 10 minutes ahead of schedule so we were soon onboard.

We managed to find a couple of comfortable seats adjacent to power outlets and settled in to the 3-and-a-half hour crossing to Sweden. As everyone is aware, Lynn can get seasick in a bathtub and after witnessing the rough seas at Grenen a couple of days ago she was concerned about an unpleasant voyage.

Lynn didn’t need to worry. The sea is so calm today you could water ski across the straits. It was like a mill pond.

We checked out the different areas of the ferry from time to time and couldn’t believe the quantities of alcohol being purchased from the ferry shops. It almost seemed that people were taking the ferry crossing just to buy cheap booze.

Still, it is a beautiful day to be on deck but there was way too much cigarette smoke for us to spend time on the sun decks.

The Stena Danica creating more waves than there is on the sea.

As we head up the Gota Alv River to downtown Gothenburg we pass by a lot of small islands and shoals. It may be risky in the dark in stormy weather but no issues today.

Lots of tiny islands at the entrance to Gothenburg Harbour.

Disembarkation from the ferry at Gothenburg was straight forward and we headed for our hotel which was entered into our car GPS. All was going fine until we reached our freeway exit and find that it has been closed. Naturally there are no detour signs or alternate routes suggested. We took the next exit and our GPS adjusted the route but all that did was take us into a construction zone with no escape. It seems a common problem as we had a line of traffic behind us also trying to find a way through. After many dead ends at construction sites it seemed like Auckland all over again where Auckland City was putting in a new underground rail system but didn’t think to have cross city access points for cars.

After stopping in a deserted industrial site Lynn found some GPS coordinates that directed us away from the city and, like she did in Auckland, crossed to the other side of the city and approached our destination from the other side of the railway and river. The logic of some (un)civil engineers astounds me. People aren’t mind readers, set up alternate routes!

It gets better… we finally arrived at our hotel and we have parking booked for the next three days (at a price nearly as high as the actual cost of the hotel). There is no signs to the parking station so obviously the Swedes are all clairvoyants. We finally found the unmarked underground car park entrance and tried to enter our provided access codes. Naturally they didn’t work. In the end I pressed the call button for help – nobody answered but the gate just opened. Why have a bloody code sent with instructions (incorrect instructions) when all you need to do is press the intercom button? Things don’t get any better… Once in the car park there are no signs to the elevator up to reception. Again we should have become clairvoyants before we arrived in Sweden.

Once at reception we had to queue up to check in (and this is at a ridiculous 7:30 pm since we wasted so much time with closed roads and a lack of signs). The last straw is when the check in chick wanted us to use a QR code to book a breakfast time each morning. FU….K OFF! Just book us in for breakfast while we are in front of you checking in to the hotel!

I think that she got the message that I have had enough of inefficient processes and stupidity for one day. She just booked our breakfast slots. It just doesn’t need to be that hard! It is just like the Scandinavian duvets on our hotel beds. Why have two undersized duvets for a double bed when one big one works better. The same for the pillows. I have seen bigger pillows in a child’s cot. No wonder they had to sell Volvo cars to the Indians. They couldn’t work out how to make them any more convoluted.

Why make it simple when you can make it uncomfortable?

Why do people live in Sweden? It is cold, expensive, inefficient, has bad food and much more difficult than is humanly possible.

Once we had unpacked I was starting to cool down. We have a walking tour of the city booked for tomorrow morning so Lynn wants to walk down to the meeting point tonight to make sure we don’t have to jump through hoops to get there or wear red underwear on our heads to walk the streets.

I have to laugh when we walk downtown. We experienced footpaths that just end. Major street crossings without marked pedestrian crossings, crossing lights that aren’t synchronised to cross a street in one go so you either risk life and limb or wait in the middle of the street for the second half of your expedition just to get to the other side. But the biggest laugh that I had was when I noticed the large number of trams (tracks everywhere) but buses driving around the streets. F….k why? Trams or buses people. Make a damn decision.

Why run tram tracks if you use buses? It’s a Scandi thing.

I just hope Norway is better than Sweden. At least we are only here for three days before we head to Oslo, Norway. It is bad enough that we have to come back to Sweden in July after we finish with Finland. We didn’t have these issues when we were in Finland last October. Maybe it was their affiliation with the Germans during WWII that shook the Scandinavianess out of them.

Aalborg, Denmark

Aalborg, Denmark for 5 days.

May 10, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

5 May, 2023

Today is ‘Great Prayer Day’, a national holiday. As some of the museums and sights might be closed we were going to spend the day driving the north coast of Jutland. However, the weather forecast is 10 Deg C and for 65 kph winds so we opt for the ‘shelter’ of city building windbreaks instead.

First port of call is the fountain in front of the old Customs House – the Toldbod Plads Springvandet – Denmark’s first musical fountain erected in 2007. In summer, 4 times a day, the fountain is accompanied by an overture from Georg Friedrich Handel’s Water Music.

Further along the harbour front we come to Aalborghus Slot, its Castle. It is a half-timbered castle built by King Christian III from 1539 to around 1555 initially as a fortification.

A building had existed at the site before Christian III’s castle. It stood south of the castle and is mentioned in the first documentation of Aalborghus, dating back to 1340. It was owned by Margrethe I and was the death place of King Hans in 1513 who died in a horse riding accident.

Over the road is the main focus of our sightseeing today, the Utzon Centre. We front up to the main entrance only to find that the Centre is shut today. The bloody Danes are at it again! The website makes no mention that it is closed today. In fact, it gives the opening times for holidays!!!! Perhaps tomorrow?

Striding into a freezing cold wind we walk a couple of blocks further on to visit Kulturhuset Nordkraft, Aalborg’s Cultural Centre. Opened in 2009, it is located in a former electricity generating station close to the waterfront in an area designated for cultural development. Nordkraft is home to several cultural institutions including Skråen, a venue for jazz and rock concerts, Teater Nordkraft, the Biffen Art Cinema, the Kunsthal Nord art gallery and Dreamhouse, an innovative creation facility. Lynn visits the art gallery to view a free exhibition of work by Marie Thams entitled ‘person’ which is essentially a video of some of her creations.

Another “brisk” 20-minute walk we arrive at The Singing Trees Park of Music which is the back garden of the Aalborg Kongresog Kulturcenter (AKKC).

Since the mid-80s, many celebrities have stopped by Kildeparken and planted a tree. In 1987, Sir Cliff Richard was the first to do this and the area was called Kunstnerparken.

In 2011 the managing director of AKKC, Ernst Trillingsgaard, wanted stars to leave more than just a signature in the visitor’s book: rather a living reminder of their visit to Aalborg and performance at the AKKC.
In 2012, the trees also started singing the songs of the celebrities, or at least the boxes next to the trees can do this. The musical initiative was inaugurated by Sir Cliff Richard on 6 June 2012.

Poignantly, we play the recording for Dame Edna dated 22/11/1994. RIP Barry Humphries, 22 April, 2023.

A tribute to Dame Edna.

While I head back to the warmth of the hotel room, Lynn soldiers on. She calls at the Budolfi Kirke only to find that it is shut – on a National Prayer Day???? Another one for tomorrow!

Next is Jens Bang’s Stenhus. Built in 1624 as a counterpart to the then mayor and Jens Bang’s half-brother Jørgen Olufsen’s farm and, together with the city’s church towers, formed Aalborg’s skyline. The house was thus the first sight that met the visitors when they came to the city. Jens Bang himself lived in the house until his death in 1644.

The Swan Pharmacy was located on the impressive ground floor of Jens Bang’s Stenhus in 1666-2014. Over the years, the pharmacies have filled the old attic with all kinds of jars, furniture and expired medicines. By agreement with the Aalborg Historical Museum, it is possible to experience the Apothecary Collection under the eaves.

Cutting back through the Cathedral Square, a ubiquitous food van which you don’t even need to understand Danish to know what it’s selling.

Guess what standard dietary food is served in Denmark?

Also hanging around the Cathedral Square is a large group of bikies together with a pop-up bar selling beers and a stand selling leather bike saddle bags and vests. Just what you expect on a National Prayer Day – a bikie rally!

6 May, 2023

Today is King Charles III’s coronation. Originally we had planned to take a drive along the west coast but there is still a strong and very cold wind blowing from the north so Lynn asks me to check to see if the coronation is being telecast. Since Charles’s paternal grandfather was Danish it seems that the entire coronation is being broadcast in Danish on the local TV channel.

Denmark is an hour ahead of the UK so we end up indoors for a big chunk of the day glued to the TV watching the telecast – in Danish.

Thank goodness the service itself is in English!

These photos are taken from the Internet to remind us of how we spent most of today.

Don’t get too comfy – this will all be mine, soon.

It seems that the English weather is the usual drizzle all day. Why would these onlookers hang out for days to get a view?

Time to head back to the Palace and stand on the balcony in the rain.

All very ceremonial.

Back to the Palace for Kate & Wills for a stiff drink.

After all the speculation as to who would appear on the balcony, who would have thought that the page boys would get precedence over the heir apparent and other real Royals!

A dining recommendation when in Aalborg is Duus Vinkjaelder (Duss Wine Cellar) which is located in the Jens Bangs Stenhouse. A genuine, Danish medieval atmosphere in a brick, vaulted cellar with homemade food highlighting local, fresh ingredients.

The restaurant is also home to Christian IV’s Guild where some 70-year-old traditions are maintained and is still a meeting place for guild members who visit Aalborg every year on an official occasion.

Lynn was planning to have some snaps to warm up but got the giggles.

I went to bed early but Lynn sat up reading her book. At 10:00 pm it is still rather light. It is not yet mid-summer so sunset will be very late by the time 22 June comes around and we will be even further north.

7 May, 2023

Sun up is bloody early so we are out of bed by 7:30 am. Lynn has a full day of tourist stuff planned so it is an early breakfast then out to the Utzon Centre.

The Utzon Centre for Architecture & Design.

Jørn Utzon, born April 9, 1918, Copenhagen, Denmark. Utzon was a Danish architect best known for his dynamic, imaginative, but problematic design for the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Jorn Lutzon in front of the incomplete Opera House in 1965.

In 1957 Utzon won the design competition for a new opera house at Sydney with a dramatic design that brought him international fame. Construction, however, posed a variety of problems, many resulting from the innovative nature of the design, a series of sail-like shells. He resigned from the project in 1966, but construction continued until September 1973. The completed Opera House is now Sydney’s best-known landmark. In 1999 Utzon agreed to return as the building’s architect, overseeing an improvement project. He redesigned the reception hall—the only interior space that had been true to his plans—and it opened in 2004 as the Utzon Room. Two years later a new colonnade was completed, marking the first alteration to the Opera House’s exterior since 1973. In 2007 the Opera House was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Utzon Centre in Aalborg was the last building to be designed by Utzon. In collaboration with his son Kim, who provided the final construction drawings, he planned the centre not as a museum but as a place where students of architecture could meet and discuss their ideas for the future. Located on the Limfjord waterfront in the city where Utzon spent his childhood, the building was completed in 2008, the year Utzon died.

The centre has some features similar to our Opera House. It has unusual ceilings and impressive water views of Limfjord.

We spent an hour walking around the Centre. Architects must come from another planet. They seem to test the limits of shed design until the shed becomes ugly. How about considering function while dreaming up strange forms?

We checked out a design for a moon habitat but even Lynn noticed that the first thing that you have to squeeze past it a poorly-located toilet at the entrance to the structure. I don’t think that I want to climb over that every time I go for a moon walk.

Out front of the centre we spot a Danish Navy patrol boat leaving the dock with a bunch of civilians on board. Perhaps public servants going for a river cruise compliments of the Government purse?

The Danish Navy out for a Sunday picnic.

On the way back to the hotel to collect the car Lynn notices a break in the weekend confirmation services at the Church and slips in to check out the interior.

We picked up the car and drove to the coast to the Bunkermuseum Hanstholm. Hanstholm fortress was a large coastal fortification, built by Nazi Germany at Hanstholm in north-western Denmark during World War II. The remains of the fortress is now a World War II museum.

The raising and lowering mechanism still works.

The large battery gun has now been put on display separate to the gun housing which was dismantled after the war.

The fortress is a large underground complex which is accessible via the museum. Lynn has no interest but she knew that I would be up for a visit – hence the trip here. Prior to heading down under into the fortress we took a stroll around the external park and checked out a small sighting bunker and the remains of the gun emplacement.

The Nazis must have been little chaps as I can’t stand up in here.

The view from the sighting bunker is a lot greener than in 1941. Just a wind turbine can be spotted.

I then headed underground to check out the fortress while Lynn sat patiently reading her book. I was down there for about 75 minutes checking out all the German military equipment and the shell-loading processes.

I emerged and we headed the 45 minutes along the coast to Bulbjerg Cliffs and beach. We drove past large fields of yellow flowering rape seed which have been prevalent since our arrival in Denmark.

Fields of hay fever just waiting to get out.

Yes, there was yet another German bunker at Bulbjerg Cliffs but more of a sighting bunker. Still, the views are impressive.

We stood on the bunker and had a great view over the Bulbjerg Cliffs. Luckily the wind is just a gentle breeze today and it is about 15 Deg C. Not warm enough for a swim but nice to be out in the sunshine.

The beach looks excellent from up here so after a few photos we plan to head down to the beach below.

View of the beach from the top of the bunker.

Rather than walk all the way down and up again we notice a parking area down at beach level so back to the car and two minutes later we walk from the parking spot to the beach. Unfortunately the sand is very soft so I think that we will be emptying sand from our boots tonight.

The beach looks better from a distance. Up close there are lots of pebbles. The water is way too cold to even consider a swim.

Bulbjerg is a limestone cliff and is the only rock formation in Jutland. It is also the only bird cliff on the Danish mainland, and as such the only breeding place of the black-legged kittiwake on the Danish mainland.

The kittiwake are nesting on the cliff face.

Lynn headed back along the beach and back over the sand dune to the car but I noticed a wooden, stepped pathway which led back up the cliff but it also crossed the dunes without deep sand so I take an alternate path back to the car with less chance of filling my boots with more sand.

Back at the car and the outside temperature has risen to an amazing 18 Deg C. Once out of the sun trap however the temperature quickly returns to a cool 14 Deg C. It is time to head back to town. Lynn reminds me to make a note on the blog about the very nice country roads here in Denmark but they all have a ridiculously low speed limit of 80 kph in the countryside for single carriageways and it is only on dual carriageway road that speeds can climb to 110 kph or even 130 kph on expressways.

However the majority of the roads are country roads that would be 100 kph in Australia but are all 80 kph unless near an intersection when they drop to 70 kph until the intersection is passed and all tiny villages get a snail’s pace of 50 kph. This reminds Lynn of Japan so it takes forever to go short distances.

The problem in Denmark is that there are radar traps everywhere. It feels like a slow Queensland except that the road are wider, smoother, straighter and flatter here in Denmark. This is either being super conservative in Denmark or they can’t drive. I suspect that the issue is in winter when much of the country roads would have very dangerous ice patches. Perhaps they could have a summer and winter speed limit system?

Still, it has been a pleasant drive in the country in beautiful sunshine. On the way back to town Lynn notices yet another mural – “Old Fisherman” by Romanian street artist, Bogdan Scutaru, now resident in Horsens, Denmark.

8 May, 2023

Today is our last full day in Aalborg. Tomorrow we check out of this hotel and head to Frederikshavn where we will spend 3 days before taking the ferry to Sweden.

It is a beautiful day outside with an expected maximum of 17 Deg C but we have a few indoor things to catch up on so our outdoor activities will be limited to going out for coffee and dinner tonight at an Irish Pub in the old town area.

After some big crowds in the hotel over this past long weekend breakfast is very quiet this morning as most folk checked out yesterday.

By mid-morning it has warmed up to pleasant 14 Deg C so we head out for coffee at the rooftop cafe of Sallings which is a department store in Aalborg. They also have a rooftop bar and restaurant but it is a bit early for a cocktail.

On the way to Sallings we have to pass by the Budolfi Church and as we approach the church bells are ringing. There is a funeral on here this morning which probably should have been over the weekend but the church was undoubtedly booked out all weekend for confirmations.

Lynn notices that the bell tower has the mesh windows open to allow the bell to toll outside the actual tower structure. Is this poor planning? Perhaps the largest bell was added at a later date after the church was built? Or perhaps the bell is designed to chime outside for a louder toll?

We continue on to Sallings and head to the rooftop cafe for a coffee / hot chocolate and find a nice table in the sun that is sheltered from the still quite chilly breeze.

Most of the view from up here is of a car park and the building is only about 6 stories high but still one of the best views in town.

The restaurant and bar is another two levels higher so we head upstairs to check it out.

The bar would be very popular on a sunny summer afternoon but it is a bit blustery up here today.

Tonight we are off to an Irish Pub for dinner. Lynn was planning to have an Irish Stew but they had run out. Unfortunately the food was very disappointing and the place reminded us of the “unIrish” pub in Osaka, Japan. Maybe we should leave our Irish pub visits to Ireland, the UK and Australia.

Still, the selection of cocktails amused Lynn even though she only drank a half of The Guinness.

Not sure we want to try the Irish Car Bomb.

Tomorrow we are on the road again and are heading to our last stop in Denmark before we take the ferry on Friday to Gothenborg, Sweden. We do however plan a couple of visits on the way to Frederikshavn from where the car ferry departs.

9 May, 2023

Another sunny day with temperatures due to rise to 18 Deg C. If we take the direct route on the E45 to our next accommodation in Frederikshavn it’s only a 38 minute drive. However, Lynn has managed to put together an itinerary that will have us arrive in Frederikshavn in 6.5 hours’ time!

We depart around 10:30 am and drive north to Bronderslev. The town name is derived from a local Norsemen chief, Brunder. We stop next to Hedelund – a parkland.

Rhododendrons in the garden at Brondeslev.

The reason we are here is because of its Rhododendron Gardens which are supposed to be in bloom during May-June. Only some bushes are in bloom – not the full-blown colour spectacle that it will be.

Robot lawnmowers in the Brondeslev Gardens.

In 1994, the Hedelund Rhododendron Park was established within the city on the site of a beech tree park which had been there since 1890.

The park covers an area of 7 hectares, making it one of the largest of its kind within the nordic countries.

It contains more than 10,000 individual plants from over 130 different species of Rhododendron.

Next we drive NW to Lokken Beach – apparently one of Denmark’s best beaches.

White sands & beach huts at Lokken Beach.

Stretching for 10 km Løkken Strand is home to some of the best waves and softest sand in the whole of North Jutland. Adding to the distinctive quality of Løkken Strand are hundreds of white-washed beach huts which line the dunes.

During the summer months boats will dock at the beach and sell their catch direct from the boat.

At the beach is the North Shore Surf shop that not only offers surfing lessons but also the use of two saunas.

30 minutes’ drive north is Hirtshals where we park at the lighthouse. It was opened in 1863 and was constructed in King Frederik VII’s time. The king’s monogram adorns the tower just above the entrance door. In cloudless weather the light can be seen 25 nautical miles from land.

Also at this site, the Bunker Museum Hirtshals is the only excavated, complete German defence-installation from World War II in Denmark. The Museum consisits of 54 excavated bunkers along with many gun, mortar and machine gun emplacements. There are also radar and searchlight installations. In all, the area consists of 70 different locations connected by 3.5 kilometres of trenches.

So far we haven’t visited any art museums in Denmark, mainly due to the cost of the entrance fees, but Lynn tells me that we will be visiting the Skagens Museum – home to the artwork of Denmark’s impressionist painters – several of which are favourites of Lynn’s.

Skagens Museum is an art museum in Skagen, Denmark, that exhibits an extensive collection of works by members of the colony of Skagen Painters who lived and worked in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and who were inspired by the area’s light and landscape.

Initially formed by Karl Madsen and Michael Ancher in the summer of 1874, this group of painters started meeting at Brøndums Gastgiveri, a guesthouse in the fishing village of Skagen, on the northern tip of Jutland (Jylland), Denmark. The group was initially reacting to the fixed styles of Historicism and Neoclassicism being enforced by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (where Ancher, Madsen and Johansen studied) and the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts.

In 1875 they were joined by Johansen, and over the following two summers others joined too. Ancher married Anna Brøndum from the guesthouse in 1880, and Krøyer joined the group and became its unofficial leader in 1882. The Anchers lived in Skagen from 1880, Krøyer from 1894, and Tuxen from 1901. With the death of Krøyer in 1909, their traditional gatherings came to an end, but younger Danish and other Nordic painters continued to visit.

‘Anna Anchen returning from the field’ (L) – M Anchen, 1902 & ‘Summer Evening at Skagen’ (R) – P.S. Kroyer, 1892

‘**Summer evening on Skagen Sønderstrand**‘ – P.S. Kroyer, 1893.

Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (9 October 1846 – 14 January 1908) was a Danish poet, dramatist and painter. He was a member of the Skagen artistic colony and became a figure of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Movement.

Drachmann first visited Skagen in 1872 with the Norwegian painter Frits Thaulow. He frequently returned, associating with the growing colony of artists known as the Skagen Painters (Skagensmalerne) although his painting took second place to his writing. In 1903, he and his third wife Soffi settled in Skagen’s Vesterby in their Villa Pax. Later in life, Drachmann returned to art, often painting pictures of ships and the sea. He’s buried at Grenen (see below).

Since the 1870s, Brøndum’s hotel had been the meeting place of the Skagen painters. The artists gathered here to debate, to eat, and to party.

At the foundation of Skagens Museum in 1908, the decision was made to transplant the dining room in its entirety in the future museum building. The museum building was completed in 1928, but the dining room was only moved there in 1946, since Degn Brøndum wished to keep it at Brøndum’s Hotel for the duration of his sibling’s lifetime.

Brøndum’s dining room was designed by the architects Ulrik Plesner and Thorvald Bindesbøll in 1892 in connection with the first major expansion of Brøndum’s Hotel. Following the suggestion of PS Krøyer, hotelier Degn Brøndum’s collection of 81 paintings was integrated into the decorative scheme of the room. The artists, who had been Brøndum’s guests, had through the years given Brøndum portraits of other members of the artists’ colony. These portraits were fitted into a frieze below the ceiling of the dining room.

Brondum’s Dining Room relocated to the Skagens Museum.

North of Skagen is Grenen, the northern tip of Denmark where 2 seas meet – the North Sea and the Kattegat Sea.

As far as we can drive north in Denmark.

After viewing an empty sea along the western coast of Jutland it comes as a bit of a shock to view the Kattegat Sea with at least 6 large ships all in a row.

Again, this area is riddled with concrete bunkers.

And surprisingly it is the North Sea that is flat and calm and the Kattegat Sea between Jutland and Sweden that has white caps – and is the body of water that we will be sailing across for 3.5 hours on Friday!

Wild sea meets calm sea in a strong wind.

Another surprise is the grave of Holgar Drachmann. He was buried on 26 January 1908. The burial chamber is located on Grenen and was designed by the artist’s friend, PS Kroyer.

After being blasted with cold wind and sand we head back down the eastern side of the Skagen Peninsula to Frederikshavn to check in to our hotel for the next 3 days.

To our relief, the toll transponder that I ordered online 2 weeks ago has arrived. That will save us a bit of money on the countless number of expensive tolls we will be charged to use Norway’s roads, bridges and ferries.

We are staying at the Best Western Hotel Herman Bang (a Danish journalist and author (1857-1912)). There is not much accommodation in town and everything is booked out tonight. Our room is tiny and not much bigger than the hotel room we had in Seoul, South Korea. I remark to Lynn that we had bigger cabins on our Celebrity Cruises. Still, it will do for three nights considering that we have two of the nights free which we booked using points from our USA trip and the hotel is right in the centre of town.

Aarhus, Denmark

Aarhus for 3 nights.

May 5, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

2 May, 2023

We are getting lots of sunny weather lately and even experience a maximum of 16 Deg C yesterday. Today is sunny again but because of the chilly north wind our expected maximum is only 12 Deg C. Lynn struggled to sleep with our over-heated room last night so we plan to open one of the windows slightly tonight. She is a bit cranky this morning due to lack of sleep.

Originally we’d booked this hotel out of town as it was on a tram line direct into the city centre. However, the price of a return ticket of A$9 each is prohibitive compared to driving the 5km (A$1.5 for petrol at Denmark fuel prices) into a free 2-hour parking lot at the Botanical Gardens and walking the 20 minutes to the Cathedral.

Butterfly House dome and wooden windmill at the Botanical Gardens, Aarhus.

Walking down the path through the gardens we can see the back of Den Gamle By (The Old Town), an open-air town museum located in the Botanical Gardens. In 1914, the museum opened as the world’s first open-air museum of its kind, concentrating on town culture rather than village culture. Today the museum consists of 75 historical buildings collected from 20 townships in all parts of the country.

The museum buildings are organized into a small town of chiefly half-timbered structures originally erected between 1550 and the late 19th century in various parts of the country and later moved to Aarhus during the 20th century.

Several times while we were walking around the town we had to walk on the road as al fresco dining tables and chairs had encroached upon footpaths. This is what happens when the cyclist lobby goes too far. The cyclists in Denmark can ride on the footpaths even when there are dedicated cycle paths. Add restaurant and cafe outdoor tables and suddenly there is nowhere for pedestrians to walk. We regularly had to risk walking on the road and dodging cars as well as cyclists. Luckily the dreaded electric scooters haven’t yet invaded Denmark or it would be a dangerous free for all.

This is what happens when pedestrians lose all rights.

20 minutes later we arrive in front of the Aarhus Cathedral/Domkirke.

Its building was started in the last decades of the 12th century. Peter Vognsen of a famous aristocratic family, Hviderne, from Zeeland, was the one who really got the building going. He was ordained as a Bishop in 1191. The Cathedral – a magnificent Romanesque basilica – was a gigantic project, not finished until about 1350. Red bricks were used, a kind of material not otherwise used in Denmark before approx. 1160. The outer walls of this Cathedral and the chapels along the eastern wall of the transept are the only surviving Romanesque elements today.

The Cathedral, as it stands today, is the result of radical rebuilding in the Gothic style, undertaken from 1449 till about 1500, transforming the heavy and sombre building into a Gothic cathedral, inspired by the great contemporary churches in the Hanseatic towns around the Baltic Sea.

With a length of 93 metres, Aarhus Cathedral is the longest church in Denmark, and it seats approx. 1200 people. From the beginning it was dedicated to St Clement, the patron saint of sailors.

Nearby is a statue of Christian X (1888-1955) King of Denmark and Iceland. Christian was a popular king who took a daily ride on horseback through Copenhagen during the German occupation.

The Danish sculptor was Helen Schou (1905 –2006) who began the work in 1944. It was installed in 1955.

Across the square is the Aarhus Teater, the largest provincial theatre in Denmark.

The present theatre house was constructed in the late 19th century, as a replacement for the old theatre, nicknamed “Svedekassen” (The Sweat-box). Since Aarhus had grown to become Jutland’s biggest city during the 19th Century the old theatre had become too small to serve the public demand. A new building was designed by the Danish architect Hack Kampmann (1856–1920). Construction began on 12 August 1898. Only two years later, Aarhus Theatre stood completed and was inaugurated on 15 September 1900.

Crossing a couple of streets we arrive at the harbour front.

At the southern end of the harbour is Dokk1, a public library and cultural centre.

At the northern end is a building called Navitas described as “a unique collaboration between education and business” involving the Aarhus Universitet and the Aarhus School of Marine and Technical Engineering.

Behind us is the Toldkammeret – the Aarhus Custom House. Completed in 1898, it is said to be Hack Kampmann’s finest work. Kampmann also designed other buildings in the city including Marselisborg Palace and the Aarhus Teater. The building was used by the tax authorities until the mid-1990s. After full renovation and being used in recent years by the architecture school and as a student hostel, the building currently houses a restaurant

We walk back through Pustervig Square where the annual, 9-day Aarhus Festuge takes place. It’s part of the Latin Quarter which surrounds the Cathedral and has a Parisian air to it along with its cobbled streets.

In the 17th Century the city’s blacksmiths lived here and the district was known for its forges. Blacksmiths were known as coal blowers hence the name Puster vig – breathe away.

Walking back to the car park we come across a bicycle shop and gasp at the prices for a basic model push bike. We can buy similar quality bicycles in Big W for about A$250 versus these starting at A$1,000 for a basic bike with no gears.

As we head back to the car we drop in at a supermarket and buy a bottle of red wine and three 33cl bottles of beer. I am surprised that the beer is only about A$0.80 each (including a bottle deposit). Either this is a great bargain or the beer is undrinkable.

Back at the hotel I put a bottle of the beer in the freezer and half an hour later we open the wine and the beer for an afternoon tipple. The pilsner beer isn’t the best beer I have ever had but it is certainly a good drop. I might have to get more as we travel around. So far it is the only thing less than twice the price in Denmark. It doesn’t help when their GST is 25%. I guess it is only a matter of time until the Australian Labor Party plans to increase our GST. Their policy has always been…”If it moves – Tax it!”

Tonight we are attempting to find a Japanese Sushi Train restaurant nearby. In short, Danish food sucks so I need a change. I would even consider Chinese food as an alternative.

We manage to find a Sushi restaurant not far from the hotel. We originally planned to do the Sushi Train – or ‘Running Sushi’ as the Danes call it – but it is booked out so we eat in the restaurant section. The restaurant has added all sorts of electronic gadgetry to try to make the experience a bit funky – including the option of having a robot deliver your food to your table – but most of it doesn’t work and the staff have no idea how to use it. They should just give up and use the KISS principle – Keep It Simple Stupid. The technology is way too sophisticated for the Asian staff let alone non- Danish speaking tourists.

Still, the food is acceptable if not quite as good as we get at home.

3 May, 2023

When we were in Copenhagen we were planning on watching the Changing of the Guard in front of the Amalienborg Palace but, as the Queen had absconded and was now resident in the Summer Palace, Marselisborg Slot in Aarhus, we were told that we could watch it there. So, that is the plan for today, to arrive there in time for the 12:00 noon guard change.

Mindeparken across the road from Marselisborg Slot, the Summer Palace.

As we walk down towards the courtyard in front of the palace gates Lynn stops a guy walking in the opposite direction with a group of school kids. He informs us that the guard change won’t be happening for another couple of weeks. Typical Danish lack of/incomplete info! The website distinctly said that the guard change would be on every day at 12 noon at this palace. Oh well, perhaps we’ll get to see one when we are in either Oslo or Stockholm??

As we walk past the palace gates back to the car park a huge garbage truck exits which makes us laugh. Even Royals need council services.

Our next stop is the Infinite Bridge just 2 minutes away. Again, the website said that it was ‘temporarily closed’ – but here it is, OPEN!

Just as we arrive we both receive a text message advising that they are about to test the national emergency warning system. Before we finish reading the message a number of sirens started wailing mournfully across the city. Perhaps they know more about what the Russians are planning than we do.

The Infinite Bridge (Den Uendelige Bro).

Located on Varna Beach on the outskirts of Aarhus is a bridge that leads to nowhere. Consisting of a wood-paneled deck raised on steel legs, the simple form of the Infinite Bridge seamlessly connects the land with the sea as it stretches out into the Bay of Aarhus.

The bridge forms a perfect circle overlapping the sand and sea. The height of the bridge decking above the water varies with the tide. The bridge spans 60 meters in diameter and provides a panoramic view across the bay and along the forest-lined stretch of beach.

The Infinite Bridge was designed by Danish architects Niels Povlsgaard and Johan Gjødes. It was constructed in 2015 for the biennial Sculpture by the Sea event.

No safety rails so watch where you walk.

The bridge is located on the site of a former historic pier. The bridge was one of 56 sculptures in the Aarhus area and was originally designed as a temporary display. However, the bridge was so popular, particularly with locals, that the bridge became a permanent piece of functional interactive artwork.

The Danes seem to have a thing for circular bridges. There is also a much larger elliptical bridge (Filso Ellipsen) at Filso Lake near Henne, Jutland.

The Varna Palaeet Mansion from the Bridge.

Overlooking the Bridge is Varna Palaeet (Vana Palace) or Odd Fellow Palace Varna situated in the Marselisbog Forests. It was built in 1908 by designs of the Danish architect Eggert Achen in Neoclassical style for the Danish National Exhibition of 1909. Today the building is owned by the Odd Fellows Society which uses it for activities within the organization. The building houses a restaurant on a lease basis and it is a well-known landmark in Aarhus and its southern forests.

Driving back to the hotel we call into an Ingo service station as we see that the Unleaded 95 price is DKK13.68/litre. We have been paying DKK14.19/litre in Zealand. However, by the time I pay at the machine then pump the fuel the price has changed to DKK13.69 which we see on the display board outside the service station when we exit. Talk about real time petrol prices!

I decide that it would be best to do a couple of loads of washing while we have the washing/drying machines here on site rather than trying to find a laundromat in Aalborg so that’s what we do this arvo. As usual, the Danes make it far more difficult than it needs to be to pay for the washing – i.e. you need to download an AirWallet app then jump through hoops to actually verify and confirm that you want to pay for the bloody washing instead of just installing a ‘tap and pay’ pad on the machine.

Lynn was planning on us attending a free trumpet concert at the Aarhus Concert Hall in town this evening at 7:30 pm (I used to play trumpet in high school) but by the time we get the washing dried and she irons it, then we find somewhere for dinner, I don’t think we’ll make it in time …

4 May, 2023

We check out of the funky Hotel GUESTapart at about 10:00 am as we are planning to take the long way around to Aalborg today. The plan is to go via Hobro whereas we had originally planned to drive via Viborg, Skive and Thisted but we may do a day trip across the Western peninsula while we are in Aalborg. Much of the Danish countryside and small villages are all similar so the saying “seen one, seen them all” seems to hold true.

However, Lynn wants to visit at least one Viking site which doesn’t cost an arm and a leg while we are in Denmark so we stop in at the Hobro Vikingemuseet Fyrkat and Ring Fortress.

The VIking Village – a reconstructed settlement based on previous finds at Vorbasse – is located at the chieftain’s estate approx. 1km before arriving at the fortress via Fyrkatvej. The estate has nine residential and workshop buildings, including a smithy made of oak timbers, mud-built walls and thatched roofs and gives an insight into everyday Viking life.

Staff are dressed in Viking gear. Today a small furnace is being heated to melt tin to make amulets in clay moulds.

I find the Viking Village thing a bit lame and even the local school children visitors prefer the attached playground more interesting. Still, at least one Viking Village had to be visited while we are in Denmark, I suppose.

About 900 meters away is the remains of a Viking Ring Fortress – the mound at least – and next to it is an 18th century farm house which is now a museum of Viking Life. The fortress and house visit are included in the Viking Village entrance fee so we take the walk along the lake side for the exercise.

Walking next to lakes, reed beds and swans.

The ring fortress was built around 980 near Onsild River in the reign of Harold Bluetooth. Ships could sail right up to the fort via Mariager Fjord, Vestre Fjord and then the river.

The 18th Century farm house complete with waterwheel.

The long halls the archaeologists found inside the ramparts are marked out. A long hall like one of those inside Fyrkat has been reconstructed just outside the fortress. The hall is built of oak, is 28.5m long and 7.4m wide.

There’s a burial site in the area between Fyrkat and the reconstructed long hall. About 30 men, women and children were buried here during the time the fort was in use.

Excavations in the 1950s showed that the original turf embankments and palisades of oak had been levelled due to agricultural activity. The ramparts have now been rebuilt and can be clearly seen in the landscape. The earthen embankments have a circumference of nearly 450 metres.

Lynn notices that the farmhouse roof is being repaired so wanders over and has a bit of a chat with the thatcher. Turns out the thatcher – Jeffrey – is actually Canadian and has been in Denmark for 8 years where he has learnt his craft.

The 18th Century farmhouse being re-thatched by a Canadian.

From Hobro we head west towards Ulbjerg so that we can follow the coastline of the Limfjord to Nibe.

Nibe is a pleasant summer coastal holiday area with lots of summer cottages and a large marina with all forms of sailing vessels that undoubtedly exit the marina at the height of summer.

The sail boat marina and summer cottages.

During her research Lynn learnt that Aalborg is also noted for its street art. On the outskirts of Aalborg we sight our first mural capturing the artist Curtis Hylton created on 16 September, 2022 by Case Maclaim entitled “Heart is Aching”.

Just about 1 km from our hotel in the centre of Aalborg we hit thick traffic – perhaps the purpose of the murals is to entertain drivers while they are stuck in traffic – and it takes about half an hour to travel the last km due to a very badly-designed double intersection.

I have come to the conclusion that the Danes prefer form over function. It is a timely epiphany as Aalborg is the home town of Jorn Utzon (born Copenhagen – 1918). Utzon is the famous or infamous architect who designed the Sydney Opera House. He was sacked during construction due to the fact that the design was spectacular but wasn’t buildable as he didn’t engage a construction engineer or an acoustics engineer to ensure that his design was functional.

Traffic jam in Aalborg due to a poorly-designed intersection.

We are planning to go to the Utzon Centre while we are in town (if we ever get there).

As we finally approach the hotel, Lynn spots another mural, this time in the hotel car park.

We are staying at the Helnan Phoenix Hotel which is adjacent to the old town centre so we will be able to walk to everything that we need to visit while here in Aalborg. The hotel is an old building but has been tastefully restored including a very old-style elevator that goes as far as the 4th floor. We are on the top level which happens to be the 5th floor so we have to lug our suitcases up the last flight of twisted stairs. Our room is large and comfortable and will do for the next 5 days.

The Helnan Phoenix Hotel, Aalborg, Denmark.

Our view only looks out over the old buildings of Aalborg but we get great light and can open the windows for fresh (read, very fresh) air without too much city noise.

View of the hotel courtyard below our room on the 5th floor.

After we unpack we head out for a recce of the town and streets around the hotel. We firstly head down our front street to the harbour foreshore then along the foreshore before walking the cobbled streets of the old town centre.

Looking across the harbour to Norresundby Havenfront.

Yet another mural appears across the water. Soren Elgaard’s “Silo”. The work represents a section of the railway bridge crossing the Limfjord.

We stroll east along the harbour front and come across the fjord pool. The harbor bath, which is a floating bridge, provides space for both young and old – a children’s pool, a play pool, a splash pool and an exercise pool. The ‘grandstand’ is quite strange as it looks away from the pool. Apparently it faces that way to provide as much sun as possible for the bathers in summer (i.e. faces south).

After turning south to walk the old town streets we come across the Budolfi Church which is a restored gothic cathedral with a spire.

The existing Budolfi Cathedral was built in the last decades of the 14th century over and around the original St Budolfi Church and was listed for the first time in the Atlas of Denmark in 1399. The church was named after St Botolph, an Anglo-Saxon abbot and saint. His reputation as a learned and holy man in Anglo-Saxon England and as the patron saint of farmers and sailors made him a popular saint in pre-Reformation Denmark.

Behind the Cathedral is the southern end of the Aalborg Kloster building, dated 1504.

Further along Adelgade we come to the C W Obels Plads which is obviously the afternoon suntrap of Aalborg with lots of patrons drinking and dining al fresco in the square. Apparently, in winter, this square becomes an ice rink.

A sun-drenched square adjacent to the Aalborg Kloster.

Around the corner we come across a small gathering of people in front of 6 flag bearers behind whom is a dais with a speaker and choir. Although the speech is in Danish we conclude that it has something to do with WWII. We later learn that 4 May 1945 was the date when Denmark was liberated from German occupation.

Commemorating Denmark’s liberation from German occupation in 1945.

Facing the square is a narrow entrance to the Aalborg Kloster, also known as the Monastery of the Holy Ghost. This part of the Kloster buildings is dated 1431.

After wandering around for some time we head back towards our hotel with the plan to have dinner at San Giovanni Italian restaurant which is across the street. After eating very lightly for the past few days it is time for a proper dinner.

The food is fairly good for an Italian Restaurant in Denmark. Lynn even lashed out and had a Prosecco. However, the meal turned out to be more expensive than we thought with a fee added before she presented the tap and pay machine with the ‘final’ amount!

Denmark, Ribe

Ribe, Denmark for 3 long days.

May 2, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

29 April, 2023

Finally – a sleep in! As we are staying in self-catering accommodation these next 3 days we don’t have to be up at a set time for breakfast. Which means that we don’t drive into Ribe until just after noon.

Ribe is Denmark’s oldest and best preserved town which still has a beautifully-preserved medieval town centre with old half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets and a cathedral.

It began as an open trading market on the north bank of the Ribe River where it runs into the North Sea. Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, Germans, Frisians, English and other cultures occasionally brought exchange goods here from all parts of northwestern Europe. The landscape around Ribe is flat, wind-blown and sandy, without any particular natural harbour, but in former times, boats could enter the river from the sea and reach the town. By the late Medieval period, the natural sedimentation processes of the Wadden Sea had closed that option. Ribe Market was sanctioned by either King Angantyr (Ongendus) or King Harald Hildetand as early as 705. In the Viking era, Ribe was a bustling international trade center.

After finding the 48-hour P-Nord car park we walk along Saltgarde towards the town’s centre. Just as we cross the Ribe A river the street becomes pedestrianised and the name changes to Nederdammen (the Lower Dam), then Melledammen (the Middle Dam) and then Overdammen (the Overdam) as the street crosses 2 islands. At each point the Ribe A river has been channeled into 3 sluices. The first at Nederdammen has the last water wheel, the other 2 at Melledammen and Overdammen are no longer there, only the sluices.

Today there are street stalls lining the pedestrian mall with lots of shoppers milling about.

Selling bric a brac in the pedestrian mall.

8 houses along these 3 streets are highlighted as being representative of their era and are listed buildings.

The Parmo Pedersen store has ceramic decorations on its exterior. It used to be a confectionery store – now a cafe/delicatessen.

It has a door that leads out to the back garden so we decide it is time for a coffee while sitting in the sun in the back garden enjoying the river view.

There is also a paved courtyard at the back of the cafe.

Skibbroen Street flanks the Ribe A as it flows between Overdammen and Mellemdammen. Lynn has booked a table for dinner tonight at the Restaurant Saelhunden on Skibbroen which is the white building about half way down on the left hand side of the river.

More colourful buildings line the street as we progress into the town’s centre. Queden’s farm is a large, former merchant’s farm with roots in the 16th Century and 17th Century but with significant renovations later. On the land where Quedens Gard is now located, three properties were re-established in the years after a major town fire in 1580. Today it is Quedens Gaard Cafe.

On the corner of Overdammen and Cathedral Square is Weis Stue, the restaurant we have booked for dinner on Sunday.

Ribe Cathedral was founded in the Viking era as the first Christian church in Denmark by Ansgar, a missionary monk from Hamburg, under permission of the pagan King Horik I. The cathedral has experienced several damaging events throughout its long history and has been restored, expanded and decorated repeatedly. As it stands today, Ribe Cathedral is the best preserved Romanesque building in Denmark, but reflects a plethora of different architectural styles and artistic traditions.

There is a wedding on in the cathedral today so it is closed to the public. Perhaps tomorrow?

Nearby is St Catherine Church and Priory. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved monastic buildings in Scandinavia. It was an important early Dominican friary from 1228 until 1536. During the Reformation in 1536, a total of 14 Catholic churches, monastic buildings and chapels were demolished in Ribe and their property appropriated by the king. Only St. Catherine’s church and the Cathedral escaped demolition.

Typical of most Danish churches the interior is quite stark and again there are several ships hanging from the ceiling.

The Danish fascination with ships in the church.

The priory became the town’s first public hospital. The buildings still stand, although there is no monastic community here today.

St Catherine Plads leads to the river and several wooden bridges of the river.

Leading to the garden behind the Ribe Kunst (art) museum.

After a couple of quick purchases at the local Lidl, we drive back to the apartment for a couple of hours.

At 4:30pm we drive back into town to dine at the Restaurant Saelhunden (Seal Dog). Just as I sit down at the table Lynn gets up and walks through the door again. When she comes back she says: “Thought so. I’ve dined here before, in the other room. There is a picture of a seal on the wall and I remember being photographed sitting at that table with the seal above me while I tucked into a local dish – rhubarb soup!”

Although the restaurant had won a RIbe award for best seafood in 2022 we both plump for a beef casserole served with beetroot, onion, chives, rye bread and butter washed down with a pilsner and a glass of Italian red. Lynn finished off with a schnapps shot.

Leaving the restaurant it is still light outside. The late sunshine says summer but the 6 Deg C with a chilly wind says winter. Crazy place, Denmark.

This place would be nice in a real summer.

30 April, 2023

Another sunny morning and another lie-in. Nothing is planned today except for dinner at 5:00 pm so we decide to take a walk to check out the local countryside.

After checking out the fishing spot at the river we notice that there is also a marked hiking trail. Kongeåstien is a 67 km long hiking trail that runs from Kongeåslusen in the west to Fårkrog south of Vejen in the east.

The path is a so-called tramp path that goes along the stream and through meadows and is marked with red-topped poles. Amenities are provided along the trail such as loos, wooden shelters and fire pits.

Another path shares part of the Kongeåstien and it is called the Graensestien – the Border Path.

A pontoon on the fast-flowing Kongea River.

Following its defeat by Prussia in 1864, Denmark lost a third of its land. Southern Jutand became German and the new border ran south of Kolding, along the Kongea River to continue south of Ribe.

Danish-style trail gates that always close.

The Graensestien follows this border from the Danish Wadden Sea to Kongeaen. Its main path stretches for 48 kms.

The path takes a left turn and heads towards a 7-metre high burial mound – Storehoj. However, the electric fence runs out leaving no barrier between us and a herd of cows. As usual, Lynn refuses to walk any further. Her fear of domesticated dairy cows astounds me as she is the one born in a country town with grand-parents who owned a farm.

Storehoj – Great Barrow – is from the middle of the Early Bronze age (3,500-3,300 years ago). It was constructed over a single tomb and site close to where the waters of the Tobol Baek run into the Kongea meadows.

The barrow is quite steep but I just have to climb to the top. The view is excellent from up here and I can see that Lynn is still hiding from the cows.

It was there so it needed to be climbed.

After the barrow was completed it was used for yet another burial – probably for a woman.

She was placed in the hollowed trunk of an oak tree. Her garments were richly ornamented, bearing artifacts from central Europe and the British Isles. The most unusual artifact was a four-spoked bronze wheel. used as a belt ornament.

It is starting to get cold with a chilling wind from the north so we head back to the apartment to warm up and take a rest before dinner.

At 4:30pm we drive into town and walk to the Weis Stue Restaurant, one of Denmark’s oldest and most beautiful inns. The house is half-timbered and dates back to 1600. The interior is still the original from 1704 with decorated ceilings, Dutch tin-glazed earthenware, panel walls decorated with biblical subjects, a 400-year-old clock and a 700 year-old baptismal dish.

We both order the crumbed and fried fish fillet with shrimp (Thailand frozen prawns), caviar and rye bread washed down with an Ozzie Chardie, followed by a shared Danish Apple Crumble. Oddly, served in a parfait glass with the breadcrumbs and smashed amaretti biscuits in the bottom, followed by stewed apples and topped with whipped cream and chopped nuts. Breadcrumbs and amaretti biscuits?? Not my idea of a proper Apple Crumble!

Now that we’ve eaten way too much it is time for a stroll so Lynn suggests we visit the moat a couple of blocks away.

After dinner walk to the Riberhus Soltsbanke.

Riberhus is an 8-metre high castle bank surrounded by moats immediately northwest of Ribe.

On the bank stood a castle that was probably built by King Erik Klipping in the 1260s. The castle suffered badly during the Swedish Wars in the 17th Century and then fell into disrepair, after which the stones were reused during the 18th Century for church repairs and road construction in Ribe.

On the eastern corner of the bailey today are the remains of a cellar from the 14th Century. On the southern corner stands a statue of Queen Dagmar, made by Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen and erected on 24 August 1913.

Statue of the 13th Century Queen Dagmah.

The beloved Queen Dagmar was born a princess in Bohemia and became the wife of thirteenth-century ruler King Valdemar the Victorious.

In 1205, Dagmar sailed to Ribe from Meissen to marry the Danish King. According to tradition, the day after the wedding, Dagmar received a morning present from Valdemar, but she had not wanted jewelry or other riches. Instead she wanted all prisoners in Valdemar’s prisons released and the high taxes for farmers to be lowered. Valdemar granted both her wishes and Dagmar quickly became a beloved Queen of the people. Dagmar died seven years later during childbirth. She was just 23 years old. According to folk songs, Queen Dagmar died in the castle on 24 May, 1212.

We walk back down Skibbroen and come across an ornately-decorated wooden post – a flood column. There are different dates listed on each metal band clamped to the post. 1634 at the top followed by 1825, 1911, 1909 and 1904. Difficult to imagine the town flooded at any of these depths.

1 May, 2023

We are checking out of our pretty ordinary holiday rental this morning and heading to a funky aparthotel just outside of Aarhus. Lynn has an interesting drive planned for us on the way that will take us to a large seaside art sculpture at Esbjerg then across the Sonder Klitvej sand spit west of the Ringkobing Fjord (just a large saltwater inlet) through Hvide Sande to an arts centre at Herning then to the Himmelbjerget tower near Silkeborg.

Men at Sea statue (Mennesket ved Havet) – Esbjerg.

The statue is a 9-metre tall white monument of four seated males located west of Esbjerg next to Saedding Beach.

It was designed by Svend Wiig Hansen and installed in October 1995 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the municipality in 1994.

Still enough wind to generate electricity and mess with the hair.

The drive along the spit from Esbjerg consists of reed-covered sand dunes, summer beach houses and swamps. The sea is just over the dunes and it seems that a lot of Danes holiday here and walk to the beach. I just can’t image the sea being warm enough to swim in at any time of the year.

We see a large house in the process of being re-thatched and at several locations along the road at reed beds are stacks of cut and bundled reeds, ready for transportation to the next roof thatching job.

Just over half way along the spit we arrive at Hvide Sande and sit in a traffic jam for over half an hour. As we arrive at the bridge we find that they are resurfacing the bridge so the traffic is banked up both ways. Our side is particularly long as some of the locals take back roads and have right of way at the roundabout just before the bridge. This process just manages to reduce the number of north-bound cars that can cross the bridge between light changes.

Sitting in traffic while they resurface the only bridge across the spit.

We are further delayed along the route by the number of German drivers who don’t seem to be capable of using roundabouts. They stop at the roundabouts and won’t go until there are no other cars within sight then when they finally move off they drive at about 20 kph under the speed limit where nobody can pass. Bloody tourists!

We finally get past the German tourists.

To break up the 150 kms drive from the west to the east of Jutland we stop at Herning to see the colourful Carl-Henning Pedersen and Else Alfelts museum located in an art park.

The artist donated several thousand of his own and his wife Else Alfelt’s works to Herning in exchange for a suitable frame being built around the collection. It became the unusual, round museum building that was inaugurated in 1976 and then expanded with the underground exhibition hall in 1993.

Carl-Henning Pedersen & Else Alfelt Museum.

40 minutes later we arrive at the Himmelbjerg Tower near Silkeborg. The tower is a memorial to the Constitution and King Frederik VII who by signing the law abolished autocracy and introduced democracy. The tower was inaugurated in 1875 and designed by Danish architect Ludvig P Fenger at the request of the Tower Committee. This committee was founded by paper manufacturer Michael Drewsen in 1867.

In Norse mythology, Himmelbjerget is the highest mountain in the world of the gods, Asgård. Himmelbjerget was perceived as Denmark’s highest point until the middle of the 19th Century.

A good view of the lake and forests in Sohojlandet but not sure that a tower was needed.

50 kms later we arrive at our accommodation on the outskirts of Aarhus.

En route we receive an SMS to tell us that our room had been upgraded then we received another one to tell us that we had been checked in and our door code. How convenient!

We noted that there was a restaurant at the hotel where we decided we would dine as we were tired from the long day. However, it turned out to be that you purchased the ready-prepared ingredients and reheated them in the kitchen in your apartment. So, beef and pasta with homemade sourdough bread and a vanilla pudding washed down with a pilsner and red wine.

As with all the Danish beds so far, our king bed has two very narrow duvets. Not the best to stay warm or cuddle up at night. It is a wonder that the Danes every have children.

Denmark, Lyndelse

Lyndelse, Denmark for 3 days.

April 28, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

25 April, 2023

It is Anzac Day back in Australia today but here in Copenhagen it is just another chilly day. After breakfast we are heading out to Copenhagen Airport by Metro to pick up our hire car which will transport us around the Scandinavian countries for the next 84 days.

After our short time in Copenhagen we have easily mastered the Metro and the station entrance is only about 400 meters (6 minutes’ walk) from our hotel. We are lucky that it is only a chilly wind blowing and not rain as we drag our luggage to the Metro. We have only one change of trains on the way to the airport and the exit of the Metro at the Airport is right at the transfer bus station that takes us to the Car Rental Desks.

The Metro trains turn up ever 2 minutes so the trip is stress free. Let’s hope the car rental process is also stress free. We have booked an intermediate-sized car (Ford Focus or equivalent). We know that we won’t be able to fit both suitcases in the boot so one will have to ride in the back seat between accommodation. The rental car was booked through Rentalcars.com for a total cost of A$2,560.00 for 84 days including full insurance cover and unlimited kms. The normal price for this deal at the moment is between A$7,500 and A$11,000 so I am expecting all sorts of hassles at the hire desk and a roughy car with lots of kms on the clock. The actual rental company is Europcar which we have used in the past with varying degrees of customer satisfaction.

The car is booked from 12 noon so that we have plenty of time to return the car in 84 days. We arrived at the Europcar desk at 11:00 am since it was faster and easier than expected to get from the hotel to the hire car centre. The guy behind the rental desk stated that it would be an hour before the car would be ready so my first thought is that we are going to be stuffed around due to the low cost of the rental.

We waited around for the hour and the paperwork was sorted in a few minutes. We have the car key and head to the allocated parking space where the car is located in the attached garage.

We are pleasantly surprised. Our hire car for the next 84 days is a near-new Mazda CX-30 Hybrid Automatic SUV. My first concern was that at A$3.20 per litre how expensive will the fuel cost be during our rental period.

We can’t quite fit the two suitcases in the boot without laying the back seats slightly down but this car has all the gadgets including GPS, auto lights and wipers, adaptive cruise control and key-less start. This is going to be a very comfortable drive. It was definitely worth the hour wait. Far better than any Ford.

Now to master the left hand drive…. and all the gadgets.

Lynn has planned for us to do a couple of touristy things on the way to our accommodation in Lyndelse this afternoon. Our first stop was going to be the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde on the island of Zealand (the island where Copenhagen is located) but at A$35 per entry I would prefer to spend that amount of money on a good wine. Plan B was to visit Roskilde Cathedral. The entrance fee for the Cathedral was A$15 each and since I have no interest in Churches, Lynn did the visit while I educated myself on the use of the Mazda CX-30 features.

Roskilde was the original capital of Denmark so all the Kings and Queens of Denmark are buried in its Cathedral.

Former City Hall of Roskilde on Staendertorvet.

Included in the burials is King Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson, who was well known for uniting Denmark and Norway in 958 and for his dead tooth, which was a dark blue/grey color, and earned him the nickname Bluetooth.

Harald Blåtann, the Viking and King of Denmark, and son of Gorm the Elder, was known to be a skilled communicator. During his reign, Denmark turned its back on pagan beliefs and Norse gods and gradually converted to Christianity. The inventors of the current Bluetooth comms process used this name for the process pending a name to be determined by the marketing department. It stuck.

The corridors around the Nave of the cathedral are surrounded by 9 chapels in which various coffins are displayed including the Chancel which has Bluetooth’s grave and the Canon’s Chancel where Queen Margrete I’s sarcophagus is displayed.

Most of the Royal coffins are spectacular including Sophie Frederikke’s coffin in the Frederik V’s Chapel.

Christian IV’s coffin in his Chapel.

The sarcophagi of King Frederik VIII and Queen Louise in The Glucksburger Chapel.

Our next stop is Odemark, Soro, where a relative of Lynn’s, Lars Christian Larsen, the father of one of her maternal great uncles, was born in 1840 before he moved to Australia via Germany and England in 1860.

Part way down Odemarksvej the road deviates around a large, walled estate at Odemark and in the road is a flock of 6 pheasants.

Peeking around the open gate revealed a huge courtyard with a large house at one end and extensive outbuildings along 3 sides.

We have no information about where in Odemark he was born or what occupation his father, Issac, had. Perhaps they worked at the Main Farm. The current estate has a website – http://www.oedemark.dk – which states that the current main building was built in 1880 in 2 half-timbered buildings with a side wing.

After our visit to Odemark we headed on towards our accommodation at Sandholt Lyndelse which is on the next island of Funen, west of Zealand, which means we have to cross the 18 km-long Great Belt Bridge. By this time the wind had picked up and it was very difficult to stay in our lane. I would hate to be driving across this bridge in a high truck in a strong wind. Way too scary.

We arrived at our accommodation just after 5:30 pm which is about 2 hours later than our intended arrival time due in part to our stops along the way. The B&B is impressive for a two room B&B. Our host Fraser met us and showed us around. Fraser in an Englishman who has lived here for the past 20 years with his Danish wife, Sally.

We quickly unpacked as we have booked in to attend an Organ Recital at the St Canute Cathedral in Odense at 7:30 pm. We had a very quick “fast food” dinner at the McDonalds just around the corner from the Cathedral and made it to the Cathedral 5 minutes before the recital began with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata Og Fugi i d-mol.

The recital ran for just over an hour then we headed back to our accommodation for an early night. I was exhausted and fell asleep very quickly.

26 April, 2023

Breakfast is planned for 9:00 am and Fraser brings in our tray right on time. We have a reasonably easy day today so we are in no hurry.

After we finished breakfast Fraser returns to clear away and we have a long chat about what to see and do on the island of Funen.

It was a sunny morning while we had breakfast but the clouds are starting to build up. We need to get moving to visit Faldsled Harbour, Faaborg and Pipstorn Forest.

Faldsled Harbour is a small, pretty harbour and marina in Helnæs Bay.

9 kms away is Faaborg, an old port town located on Faaborg Fjord. Faaborg is first mentioned as Foburgh in a document located in the French National Archives, Paris, dated 25 June 1229. It is a deed of gift that gives Faaborg and the south of Funen to Eleanor of Portugal from Valdemar II to his daughter-in-law. It is mentioned as a castle (Foburgh meaning Fox Castle), so it must have existed before this date. However, this date has been used as the birth date of Faaborg and thus the town celebrated its 775th anniversary in 2004.

It began to prosper as an important port in the 18th century. By the 1890s, ships from Faaborg sailed as far as the Mediterranean. In the 19th century, the United Kingdom replaced Norway as the main trading partner and, in the second half of the century, trade extended to China and Australia. Today the harbour, old streets, historic mansions and town houses all make Faaborg a pleasant city for visitors.

6 kms SE of Faaborg is Pipstorn Forest known for being one of Denmark’s largest prehistoric burial sites – a place with a 4,000-year-old history.

Edge of Pipstorn Forest at Lucienhoj viewpoint overlooking Faaborg Fjord.

Today, Pipstorn is a mixture of ancient burial sites, forestry operations (at Holstenhuus Manor, which owns the woods), a recreational area and a habitat for wild animals and several rare plants, bisected by a railway line.

We walk one of the tracks towards a tuft grave – cremation pits covered by a low mound of earth and are often associated with the large burial grounds from the pre-Roman Iron Age (approx. 500-1. BC). It was difficult to make out the mounds amongst the vegetation. We backtracked to a sign towards a series of early Bronze Age long barrows but as there was no indication of how far away the barrows were and as it had started to rain with a touch of sleet we head back to the car.

Back at the B&B Lynn walks up a slight hill to the local church.

Although the doors were locked we returned the next day and the verger (or Danish equivalent) was mowing the lawns so the church was open and Lynn snuck inside to take a few photos.

After the church visit she strolled around the B&B and its garden and saw the resident pair of pheasants.

The rear garden of our B&B with the Church in the background.

The afternoon is very chilly so we spend the evening updating the blog and resting up. We even have to turn up the heat as the apartment is now getting quite cold. Dinner is in tonight and consists of the remainder of this morning’s breakfast.

We will be in bed early tonight.

27 April, 2023

We are out of bed a bit earlier this morning as we have ordered breakfast for 8:30 am so that we can get on the road to see the sights that Lynn has researched.

First stop this morning is the Egeskov Slot (Castle).

Egeskov was first mentioned in 1405. The castle structure was erected by Frands Brockenhuus in 1554.

Due to the troubles caused by the civil war known as the Count’s Feud (Danish: Grevens fejde), general civil unrest, and a civil war introducing the Protestant Reformation, most Danish noblemen built their homes as fortifications. The castle is constructed on oaken piles and located in a small lake with a maximum depth of 5 metres (16 ft). Originally, the only access was by means of a drawbridge. According to legend, it took an entire forest of oak trees to build the foundation, hence the name Egeskov (oak forest).

The estate has belonged to the Bille-Brahe family since 1784, when they acquired it from descendants of the Brockenhuus family. In 1882 it was inherited by the counts Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, who still own it.

We had planned to go inside and visit the Slot but the entrance fee is prohibitive and we have seen much older and bolder castles in the UK.

We are headed to the two small islands of Tasinge and Langeland which are connect by long bridges via Sio island.

After crossing Sio island (part of the low bridges connecting the islands) we stopped in at a small town called Rudkobing as we enter Langeland Island.

We parked the car on the outskirts of town and wandered through the pedestrian streets.

We found a woolen wear shop that had some woolen socks on sale. My cotton socks from Brisbane are just not cutting the cold weather so I bought a pair and Lynn bought two pair of bamboo socks since she needed thinner socks for her walking boots. My socks are traditional, Danish patterned.

Up one of the alleyways behind the main street we spied an old windmill which seems to be in working condition.

We continued walking through the town centre to the Town Hall. The buildings sheltered the plaza from the chilly north-eastern winds so it was very nice in the sunny pocket.

The first mention of Rudkøbing was in 1287, when it was given market town privileges by Duke Valdemar IV of Schleswig, who held the title of rigsforstander (da) under King Eric VI Menved. The original Rudkøbing Church was built most likely in the late 12th century or early 13th century. During the Count’s Feud (1534–1536) and again during the Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660), Rudkøbing was under siege by Swedish troops. Both times, the town’s fortifications prevented Rudkøbing from immediately falling, but the town eventually had to give in to the Swedes. The town was hit by the Black Plague during the 16th and 17th centuries, and experienced fires in 1590 and 1610.

From the town centre we continued on to the harbour. Rudkøbing got its first proper harbour in 1826 (it had previously only had a pier). In 1898, in a town of about 3,500 people, there were 152 ships based in Rudkøbing. Every year, over 2,500 ships (carrying over 18,000 metric tons of cargo) came in and over 2,800 ships (carrying over 11,500 metric tons of cargo) went out, mostly to and from elsewhere in Denmark. The town was connected by steam ferry routes to Copenhagen, Korsør, Marstal, and Svendborg.

There are some excellent refurbished old buildings down by the harbour including the old railway station which is now the city’s historic archives building. The old 24-hour railway clock still adorns the building.

From 1911 to 1962, Rudkøbing was the main station of the Langeland rail network, called Langelandsbanen (da). The network was connected to Svendborg in 1926, when a railway ferry route made it possible to move train wagons between Rudkøbing and the mainland of Funen.

Before the harbour was built there were a number of small houses along the then beach front where the usual seaman, fishermen and paupers lived. The street is called Ramsherred and the word Rams-herred means “inhabited by bad-uns”. This area is now a very gentrified with very expensive harbourside renovated cottages.

Back to the car and we then headed to the bottom of Langeland Island through a town called Humble. We couldn’t find the Humble Pie shop, unfortunately. The farmland around this area has lots of small hills and mounds. Some of these mounds are supposedly old viking burial mounds.

We are now close to the southern coast of the island and there is evidence of significant sea winds that must drive the local farmers crazy.

A little further along Lynn noticed a mound in a field so I stopped and she walked across the field to the stone-covered mound. It turned out to be a passage grave and apparently some 5,000 years ago there were 7-8 large stone tombs in this area.

Our next stop is at the base of the island, a small holiday harbour village of Bagenkop. It is very quiet here at the moment as it is way too cold for the summer holiday crowds. In another 6 weeks this place will be heaving.

The adjacent beach looks way too cold today but looks like it could be a very nice swimming beach in summer.

There is just one cafe/souvenir shop open at the moment so we stop in for a hot chocolate for Lynn and a hot dog for me. The locals check us out and it seems that they are thinking “why are there tourists here in this cold weather?” Still, it is not raining and the sun is shining even though it is a chilly 8 Deg C and that’s without the wind chill factor.

On our way back to Lyndelse we check out Svendborg on the main island of Funen as this was where AP Moller-Maersk was established in April 1904. We parked near the harbour and walked the old town centre.

There are some interesting shops, churches and buildings in the town so we walked quite a few blocks to check it out.

As we walked back to the car we noticed an interesting street decoration.

I don’t think that this will keep you dry.

It is time to head back to Lyndelse but we will have one more try to walk to the top of the Trebjerg Hill for the view over the bay, archipelago and on to Jutland. This will be our third attempt as each other attempt was washed out with rain storms.

It is sunny but the wind is blowing a chill through our souls but we make it to the lookout.

Lynn struggles to reach the free telescope.

The view is pretty good but it is way too cold to linger here for very long. It must be nearing wine o’clock.

Not a bad view from up here. Can we go home now?

We stop in to buy a tank of petrol on the way back to the B&B as we are nearly down to a quarter of a tank. We fill up with 36 litres of petrol for an eye-watering A$115.00. Now I know why Europe is so small. They can’t afford a larger area at these prices!

28 April, 2023

After bidding Fraser farewell we depart Lyndelse just after 10:00 am for our first stop at the Wadden Sea National Park lookout near Juvre on the island of Romo which is 182 kms west on the Jutland peninsula. It should take us about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The E20 takes us across the Den Nye Lillebaeltsbro Bridge between Funen and Jutland then we take the 25 then the 175 which takes us over mashland and the body of water known as the Danske Vadehavsoer to Romo Island.

To our surprise, when we get to the look out, there is no water to be seen, just grassland which is not depicted on the map. Instead there are warning signs that the area that we are overlooking is, in fact, a live firing range! We’ll have to find somewhere else to lunch.

There are several solid buildings in the neighbourhood. The local museum and a farm house.

As we drive through Romo Kirkeby on our way south on the island we stop at St Clemens Church which is one of Lynn’s ‘must see’ spots.

The church was dedicated to Saint Clement, the sailors’ patron saint. One of the old tombstones lining the cemetery wall was inscribed with a ship.

The oldest part of the church was built sometime after 1250 and expanded four centuries later. Possibly in the latter half of the 15th century, the church tower was built in the Gothic style. The church was expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The date on the exterior of the church says 1737 while the highly-decorative pulpit is dated 1534.

Interestingly, inside there are several votive ships hanging from the ceiling – just like in some of the corridors of the Kykkos Monastery in Cyprus.

At the southern end of the island is Havneby where the ferry to List auf Sylt on the adjacent island of Westerland, Germany, arrives and departs.

Ferry going past the concrete block houses.

We find a bench in the park to eat our rolls overlooking some funky concrete blocks that are supposed to be apartments/houses.

Our accommodation is 52 minutes away so we rejoin Jutland and take the 11 which bypasses the town of Ribe. 15 minutes later we arrive at our next accommodation, Lejlighed ved Kongeaen – a two-bedroom apartment which is located – wait for it – next to a camping ground! This is the closest to ‘glamping’ that I will ever get!

The quality of the accommodation doesn’t match the high price paid!

We booked the apartment as it had a washing machine. However, it is located in another building which the campers would use, too. And, to add insult to injury, I had to make my own bloody bed when we arrived!

The pictures look better than the reality.

After we returned from a short visit to the local supermarket to buy breakfast supplies I had to do the washing since it has been nearly 2 weeks since our last washing in Cyprus. I miss Kristia!

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark for 4 days

April 24, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

21 April, 2023

We have an easy day today. Just about flying from Dublin to Copenhagen. Our flight is due to take off at about 1:15 pm so we check out of the Radisson Hotel at Dublin airport at about 11:00 am and take the hotel shuttle bus to Terminal 1. The airport is significantly busier than Belfast International but checking in goes well and we just beat a large number of 20-somethings through bag drop.

Our gate is about as far away as you can get from security so we head down and find a seat before the 20-somethings crowd around and increase the noise significantly. The aircraft is 30 minutes late arriving at the gate so we know that we are going to be delayed today. Luckily it is only a 2-hour flight. We have priority boarding so we get on before the noisy mob and hope that we don’t have them sitting near us, or worse, between us.

Once everyone is loaded onto the aircraft the pilot announces that we may be delayed another hour as he has lost his slot into Copenhagen. Our 2-hour flight is quickly turning into an all-day affair.

At last we are in the air and departing a chilly Ireland. From one cold climate to the next.

The 20-somethings are a bit rowdy but we have a vacant seat between us and they are far enough away not to be an issue to us.

We take a taxi from the airport which is quite expensive but I just want to get checked in at the hotel before it gets late and we are not familiar with the rail transport from the airport to the city centre.

Our hotel is a bit funky but seems comfortable enough for the next 4 days. The hotel is located in the old meat packing area near central station which you would think is right in the city centre. It’s not far but a good 15-minute walk to the actual city centre. Still, it is close to a Metro station and the actual central station for medium- and long-distant trains. It will do.

It is a Friday night. The sun won’t set until about 8:30 pm and all the city workers seem to be out for dinner and drinks this evening. Why not? The sun is shining and the weather is relatively warm after a cold and wet winter in Copenhagen.

We are given directions to a number of restaurants near the hotel so we head out looking for a place to eat.

Eateries in the old Meat Packing District of Copenhagen.

There isn’t a free seat anywhere to be seen. Most people are just drinking so finding a place to eat is a bit of a challenge.

Eventually we manage to get two seats at the bar of a small, trendy restaurant/bar. It is all a bit Boho.

We feel like we are the oldest people in Copenhagen. The menu is a choice of about 4 items. I have a pork dish and Lynn has arancini balls. It is expensive and takes a long time to get served. The food is OK but hopefully we can do better over the next few days.

It is rather late by the time we return to the hotel so we head straight to bed.

22 April, 2023

Lynn has booked us into a free walking tour of the city this morning so we are out of bed by 8:00 am and down to breakfast with the crowds by 9.

We don’t have time this morning to work out the Copenhagen Metro before our walking tour starts so we just walk the 15 minutes to the Town Hall where the tour commences.

Our guide for our 2.5-hour walking tour was born in Argentina but his English is very good and he has been in Denmark for many years. He is a bit too much of a touchy-feely, political greenie for me but he seems pleasant enough.

I won’t add all the photos that we both took during the tour as they are mostly of historical buildings which get a bit boring after a while. Still, we have fantastic weather today. Not a cloud in the sky, a gentle breeze and a top of 17 Deg C. Great walking weather.

The 12th Century City marker at the Town Hall.

From Radhuspladsen we walk down narrow streets like Farvergade and Radhusstraede past the Bastard Cafe.

Coffee in Copenhagen at A$10 per cup is a bit of a Bastard.

On Magstraede we are told about which houses survived numerous fires and the current price of Copenhagen real estate – 3-story townhouse, 147sqm, recently furbished, no garage – Euro1.8m.

One of the earliest city streets in Copenhagen.

We cross over the canal that surrounds Slotsholmen (Castle Island).

And view a canal tour boat squeezing through one of the low arches of Stormbroen.

Wide canal boat through a narrow bridge.

It doesn’t look possible. Now a 90 Deg turn.

Before us is the Christiansborg Palace which houses the Danish Parliament. Surprisingly there are two, sand-covered enclosures which house a white horse in each.

Christiansborg Palace – aka the Parliament Building and horse stables.

To the right are the Royal Stables.

We then walk to the adjacent gardens of the Royal Danish Library which feature emerging spring foliage and a beautiful, flowering magnolia tree.

From there we pass by the other side of the Parliament Building and cross over the canal at Holmensbro.

Next we stop by the Nikolaj Knusthal Church, one of the city’s oldest churches and most conspicuous landmarks. It is now a contemporary art centre.

Nearby is Kongens Nytorv – King’s New Square.

The French Consulate building on Kongens Nytorv.

Where classical buildings such as the French Embassy and the Magasin du Nord are located.

We walk by the top end of Nyhavn – one of the most photographed canal sides in Copenhagen – then onto Amalienborg, the Royal Palace.

Queen Margrethe II’s residence in Christian IX’s Palace.

The Queen is not home today as she is now in residence at the Summer Palace in Aarhus.

But Ozzie Mary & Fred are home today in Frederik VIII’s Palace.

This is where the tour ends.

Mary & Frederick’s palace guards on duty.

In the centre of the 4 palaces is an equestrian statue of Frederick V by French sculptor Jacques Saly. It was commissioned in 1752 and completed in 1768.

Lynn is waiting for an invite to afternoon tea from Mary.

The statue faces Frederiksgade and Frederiks Kirke – the Marble Church.

Not all marble but limestone since the earlier King spent all the country’s money on lost wars.

At the end of the tour our guide mentions that this weekend is the Sakura Festival – Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival – in Langelinje Park.

On our way there we walk past the head quarters of Maersk on the harbour where we will be lunching with Henning, a friend and colleague of Lynn’s, on Monday.

The park is next to the Kastellet, a grassy fort, and the park is heaving with people, some dressed in kimonos, all wanting to be photographed under the cherry blossom trees.

Retracing our steps we pass by the spectacular Gerfion Fountain. It features a large-scale group of oxen pulling a plow and being driven by the Norse goddess Gefjon. It is the largest monument in Copenhagen and is used as a wishing well. According to an ancient legend, Gefion was the goddess who ploughed the island of Zealand out of Sweden. The Swedish king Gylfe offered the goddess Gefion as much land as she was capable of ploughing in one day and one night. Like the Trevi Fountain in Rome, it is closed for maintenance.

Walking to the Marble Church Metro station we notice a shop across the road featuring signs such as ‘Enjoy Cocaine’ and ‘Murder King’ in the styles of their respective logos. We purchase a 1-day Metro ticket and get the subway back to Central Station then walk to the hotel.

Lynn has been intrigued by a series of cute, playful sculptures that are in and around the building where we have breakfast.

After a couple of hours’ rest we get the Metro to Gammel Strand to catch a one-hour boat tour of Copenhagen’s numerous canals departing at 17.45.

The little mermaid statue from the canal side.

Gold and black spire of Our Saviour’s Church.

Stay seated for the many low, low bridgidas.

Round Bridge with the new library – the Black Diamond – in the background.

23 April, 2023

As predicted, the weather has gone from warm and sunny yesterday to cold and raining today. To make full use of our 24-hour Metro ticket we plan to see the views from the tower of the Parliament Building, visit the interior of the Marble Church and have a coffee by the Nyhavn canal.

Only a short wait at the head of the queue to clear the airport-standard security then take the lift to the 5th floor then a set of stairs to the 4 viewing platforms of the tower. Apparently, on a clear day, you can see Sweden.

View North to the St Saviour’s Church spire.

View South West over the Parliament Building courtyard.

View North East towards the Marble Church dome.

We take the Metro to the Marble Church only to find that instead of it being open at noon today as advertised it won’t be open for sightseeing until 2.30 pm, so back to Nyhavn for a coffee.

And a stroll along both sides of the canal.

The rain has stopped but it is still overcast as we head back to the hotel before our Metro ticket expires at 2:10 pm. It is about 1:15 pm and a Ticket Inspector joins the train and inspects all the passengers’ tickets. Good thing that we are headed home early.

This evening we have been invited to dinner at the home of Henning (from Maersk) and his wife Vibeke who live in Horsholm, a town about halfway between Copenhagen and Helsingborg.

We catch the 5.26 pm train to Helsingborg from Central Station in brilliant sunshine. En route we catch glimpses of Sweden across the water. We are met at the nearby Kokkedal train station platform by Henning who drives us to their delightful terraced home about 5 minutes away.

It’s been 13 years since Lynn and Henning last met and for the next 4 hours we are treated to amazing Danish hospitality and cuisine while catching up.

Vibeke, in a previous life, spent time in Italy and was involved in Italian cuisine and turns her deft hands to producing 4 sublime and perfectly-formed courses: fish roe and chopped onions on blinis;

cod and hollandaise sauce with asparagus spears;

pan-fried reindeer with broad beans, baked baby pesto potatoes and salad, and a home-grown rhubarb compote with cream and biscuit pieces for dessert.

Beverages included a cherry juice and tonic starter followed by a Californian white and a Sicilian red, reminiscent of a rioja, followed by tea and Danish chocolates.

To reciprocate their amazing hospitality, Lynn invites them to join us for dinner on 16 July when we will be staying in Snekkersten, 15 minutes’ drive north on our way back to Copenhagen at the end of our 3-month road trip.

At 10:00 pm Vibeke drive us all to the station so that we can purchase return tickets then Henning walks home with Dusty, their black Labrador who has been waiting patiently for his usual 9:00 pm walk.

Again our train tickets are inspected and we can’t believe that the Inspector, when speaking English, has a perfect Brummy (Birmingham) accent which even he doesn’t know how he acquired it!!

24 April, 2023

Today we take the Metro to Osterport and walk for 20 minutes past the Kastellet to the AP Moller Maersk building on the habour arriving at noon.

As we walk to the front door Henning emerges to take us next door to an older building which houses the Maersk Museum. Henning is the company’s Group Historian and next Monday will be celebrating 25 years working for Maersk.

The original office of the first MD of Maersk.

Unfortunately last week this building had a water pipe leak so the Museum is closed and under plastic but he is able to show us a schematic of AP Moller Holding and its numerous businesses, the 4 leaders of the family company from original owner to present-day and an office set up with AP Moller’s possessions at the time he died – a large wooden desk, chairs, a globe, photos and paintings and a large-scale model of a wooden ship.

Time for lunch so we head downstairs of the main building to the packed Bistro where the cuisine today is in celebration of the end of Ramadan. Apparently Maersk has the most diverse workforce in Denmark.

1.30 pm and it’s time to bid farewell and to walk to the Little Mermaid, this time to view her from the front.

20 minutes later we finally get to view the inside the Marble Church then take the Metro back to the hotel where we need to catch up on the blog and pack ready for our departure to the airport tomorrow to collect the hire car and to commence our Scandinavian road trip.

After a big lunch today dinner will be a hot chocolate and a Snickers bar. It has been an interesting four days in Copenhagen. It has also been a busy visit but we have managed to see most of what we wanted to achieve in the four days despite the periods of rain.

Cyprus, Paphos

Paphos, Cyprus Week 2

April 19, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

12 April, 2023

It is sunny and warm this morning when we went down to breakfast but the wind is picking up and the clouds are building on the horizon. After breakfast Lynn wants to complete the things to visit and see for our upcoming Scandinavian trip so she settles in at the downstairs cafe while I head down the road to see if I can organise a hire car for three days this week.

I had found a few hire cars out at the airport online but it would mean getting out there and back. The airport isn’t far away but a taxi is Eu25 each way.

Rental car companies are plentiful on the main road but so far the operators aren’t as keen to do business as you would normally expect in a tourist town. However, when I stopped at the one near the laundry the English woman attendant was very helpful and keen to do business. Within a couple of minutes I had booked a VW Up for three days for Eu100. We can pick it up after 9:00am Saturday and just leave the keys at our Hotel Reception and they will collect the car at 9:00 am on Tuesday. Too easy.

I strolled back to the hotel to let Lynn know that we had local transport over the Orthodox Easter here in Cyprus. She is still working on the places to see and things to do in the Scandies so I grab my towel and cozzie from the room and head to the beachside to soak up some sun.

I wasn’t on the sun lounge more than about half an hour when the clouds started to build up and thunder approached. I made it as far as the outside cafe awning when it started to rain and soon after started to hail. The temperature dropped very quickly to about 11 Deg C so I scampered inside to dry out and change into some warmer clothing. Sun bathing for the day is clearly done.

13 April, 2023

Lynn again wants to finish off the Scandie to do list this morning. Even though we had a night of thunder storms and strong winds last night the sun is shining this morning so I head back to the beach. The strong winds last night have created some large waves on the normally benign Mediterranean Sea and there are a couple of surfers out this morning. The water is crystal clear and sounds like a normal Ozzie beach.

The water temperature is still too cold for a swim but the sun is more than capable of providing severe sunburn.

Before I get too burnt I head back to check on Lynn and she insists that we book seats on the Narvik, Norway Arctic Train for June as it is very popular in summer and can book out early. Done. We now have two return tickets on the Arctic Train for the middle of summer. Apparently this 2-and-a-half hour return trip offers fantastic views from the mountains above the Narvik Harbour and Norwegian fjords from the Norway/Sweden border. Hopefully we get good weather as it looks fantastic.

Internet image of the Narvik Arctic Train.

14 April, 2023

Today has to be the best weather so far in Paphos. It is a beautiful 20 Deg C out today so after yet another al fresco breakfast in the sunshine we head down to lay by the pool. Lynn even ventures in for a very short swim. The pool water is still way too cold for me.

By lunchtime Lynn heads back to the room to work out our itinerary for the next 3 days with the hire car and a couple of hours later I also head up to catch up on the blog and some emails. Any longer in the sun and we would both be lobsters.

15 April, 2023

Another sunny day here in Paphos with an expected top of 21 Deg C. First job after breakfast is to pick up the VW Up! at about 9:30 am. We did the usual video of the car condition then headed back to the hotel to set up the GPS and add the usual necessities to the car.

The plan is to head up into the Troodos Mountains and its National Forest Park today to visit the Kykkos Monastery; then a waterfall, another archaeological park and a mythical rock.

On the road into the Troodos National Forest Park.

There is very little traffic about and the roads are in great condition. Despite the VW having a miniature 1.0 litre engine it handles the hills quite well. The car is just a “shopping trolley” but it will do for a few short tours of the Cyprus countryside. I have owned and ridden bigger motorcycles than this buzz box but it will do for three days of touring around. Having said that Lynn has us doing about 650 kms over the next three days as we cross the Republic of Cyprus – the southern part of the island of Cyprus.

It is not hot enough outside to warrant air conditioning in the car so we just drive with the windows open. Climbing up the steep hills to the pine forests is easy so far. I just wonder how the car will go if I turn on the A/C.

The air is cool and clear as we ascend the hills and there are some great views from up here. Since there is little traffic we stop regularly to take a few photos.

Each little town that we pass through has a “Welcome” sign and a “Bon Voyage” sign to mark the start and end of each village. In the towns the speed limit is 30 kph and marked by some serious speed bumps. The poor little VW almost gets stuck on the top of each bump.

Everything is looking green in the hills after a cool and wet winter. I bet it browns off fast once the temperatures regularly hit the mid 30s in a few weeks.

We happen upon the Chrysoroyiatissa Monastery en route where we stop briefly. This Monastery also has a winery attached and some excellent views of the valley below.

This high-elevation monastery was built in 1770 housing religious icons, a winery and a cafe with valley views.

Our next stop is at the village of Pano Panagia which is the birth place of Archbishop Markarios III.

Main street of Pano Panagia (Panayia Village).

Makarios III – born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977 – was a Greek Cypriot politician, archbishop and primate who served as the first president of Cyprus and in which is widely regarded as the Father of the Nation or “Ethnarch”. He was also the leader of the autocephalous Church of Cyprus (1950–1977).

My reading of the history of Cyprus would indicate that a lot of the issues in the 1960s and 1970s in Cyprus were caused by this guy not willing to separate church from state and insisting Cyprus be linked to Greece after independence from the UK rather than forming an independent state. Will it ever be re united?

We continue on to the forested area where we end up driving through Cedar Valley to Kykkos.

The air is clean up here but the pine forest would be a serious bush fire risk in a dry, hot summer.

When we turn off the main road towards Cedar Valley the road becomes much narrower but we don’t come across any other cars. The roads are in great condition however, there is a lot of evidence that the mountains are crumbling and the roads are regularly covered in fallen rock scree so we have to drive up the middle of the road to avoid the very sharp rocks. Although we have a spare tyre I am not sure that it is adequately inflated. I don’t want to risk a flat tyre.

Dodging the rock falls on the narrow roads.

It is a very pleasant drive through the cedar trees and still we don’t see a single other car until we reach the bottom of the valley. Even then the only cars here are parked while the occupants hike along the many trails through the forest.

Continuing on we start the steep climb through the Troodos Mountains. The trees are thinning now and the forest looks more like scrub and the soil is very dry.

In the Troodos Mountains we arrive at Kykkos where Lynn wants to visit the Kykkos Monastery. The Monastery is a very well built and extensive stone building. There are plenty of tourists around including a tour bus.

The first thing that you notice is the impressive mosaic entry. The gold mosaics shine in the afternoon sun.

Lynn comments that she could quite easily live in a monastery to spend her days in meditation. Perhaps that is why she can turn a task into a career by contemplating her navel instead of getting the job done quickly???

Lynn takes some good photos of the monastery and spots a pair of shoes at one of the cell doors.

The workmanship in this place is extraordinary and the details of the mosaics are worth the visit.

Despite a large number of visitors the place is really quiet. There are no Chinese visitors here today, thank God!

Although it is not really all that hot here today, it is certainly dry. There is a cafe next door to the Monastery so we check it out for a possible coffee stop. The coffee is just machine coffee so we settle for an ice cream.

Ice cream with Australian macadamia nuts.

The ice cream is very nice and is coated in Australian macadamia nuts – a taste of home.

Heading to our next stop Lynn notices on the map that we are about to drive past Mount Olympus and suggests we make a quick detour. As we climb ever upwards the temperature outside drops to a cool 14.5 Deg C. Lynn reckons that she can see some patches of snow on the mountain. I scoff. How can there be snow in Cyprus? Especially at this time of year?

As we approach Mount Olympus we come across the Cyprus Ski Club hut. WTF?? Yes, apparently this area gets good snow coverage in winter and there is a ski lift. There is still significant snow in the trees and the road has large ice boulders on the roadside. There are even snow poles marking the edge of the road for the winter snow ploughs.

We drive to the top of Mount Olympus, something that you can’t do on mainland Greece but at the top of this Mount Olympus is a Cypric Military base so we couldn’t take any photos at the summit.

Our next stop on the way down from the mountains is at the Millomeri Waterfall. The road to the falls is a narrow, one-lane road but we manage to park quite close by and only have a short walk to the falls.

The water in the pool is cool and clear but drinking is not recommended. We had planned to take a selfie at the waterfall but again we forget to bring the selfie stick. I am starting to regret buying the thing as we always seem to forget to take it with us.

We continue on towards the narrow cobble-streets of the hill-top village of Lofou and get some great views of the valleys from the hill tops. Unfortunately we don’t get to drive through the village as a car is parked in the narrow, one-way street so we make a U-turn and continue on our way.

We notice that most of the hills have been terraced but are no longer in use for agriculture. Perhaps they have been abandoned or perhaps are only used as grazing fields for goats. If this were Greece, Spain or Italy the terraces would be covered in olive trees. Perhaps the presence of the Old Olive Mill in the village is indicative of previous extensive olive orchards.

We are heading towards the coast near Limassol and the little VW has to work hard on the very good freeway as we head back towards Paphos. Our next stop is at Kourion to see the ancient amphitheater and house.

Eustolios House, Kourion Archaeological Park.

It is starting to get late and Lynn thinks that the site closes at 4:00 pm. We arrive just before 4:00 pm and are told that it closes at 5:00 pm so we have some time to check out the site. The good news is that since we are over 65 years of age that we can get in for free. Bonus!

We probably won’t have time to cover the entire site but we head for the excellent, well-preserved amphitheater which has a magnificent view over the sea. The theater is in great shape and is still used for theater performances.

Next we head for the covered dig site where the foundations of a very large house have been uncovered. There are some excellent mosaics and even a couple of wells.

The most impressive thing about this dig is the magnificent view that the original house would have had in its day.

Back on the road we stay off the main freeway and head along the coast road. There is a view point at Petra Tou Romiou so we stop for a couple of photos. Impressive.

Petra Tou Romiou viewpoint looking west.

Petra Tou Romiou viewpoint looking east.

Our last stop for the day is at Aphrodite’s Rock. The parking area is on the land side of the main road and you walk through an underpass beneath the highway. The underpass is a narrow walkway that opens up directly at the beach.

The tunnel under the highway at Aphrodite’s Rock.

Petra tou Romiou (“Rock of the “Roman”) (that is East Roman or Byzantine as Byzantines referred to themselves as either Greeks or Romans until the 1920s), also known as Aphrodite’s Rock, is a sea stack near Paphos. It is located off the shore along the main road from Limassol to Paphos. The combination of the beauty of the area and its status in mythology as the birthplace of Aphrodite makes it a popular tourist location.

According to one legend, this rock is the site of the birth of the goddess Aphrodite, perhaps owing to the foaming waters around the rock fragments, and for this reason it is known as Aphrodite’s Rock. Gaia (Mother Earth) asked one of her sons, Cronus, to mutilate his father, Uranus (Sky). Cronus cut off Uranus’ testicles and threw them into the sea.

Similarly, the local version indicates that Aphrodite’s Rock is a part of the lower body of Uranus. This legend says that Cronus ambushed his father and cut him below the waist with a scythe. Uranus, as he tried to escape flying, lost parts of his truncated body and testicles into the sea. A white foam appeared from which a maiden arose, the waves first taking her to Kythera and then bringing her to Cyprus. The maiden, named Aphrodite, went to the assembly of gods from Cyprus. The Romans widely referred to her as Venus. Aphrodite attracted a large cult following in Paphos, which was eventually crushed by the Romans. This is evident from the Sanctuary of Aphrodite in Old Paphos, Kouklia. A local myth is that any person who swims around the Aphrodite Rock will be blessed with eternal beauty.

Aphrodite’s Rock – the one on the right.

Another legend associates the name Achni with the nearby beach, and attributes this to it being a site where the Achaeans came ashore on their return from Troy.

The present name Petra tou Romiou associates the place with the exploits of the hero Basil as told in the Digenes Akritas. Basil was half-Byzantine (East Roman or Romios) and half-Arabic, hence the name Digenes (two-blood). Legend tells that the Christian Basil hurled a huge rock from the Troodos Mountains to keep off the invading Saracens. A nearby rock is similarly known as the Saracen Rock.

Since it is Easter Saturday here in Cyprus Lynn wants to attend the midnight Mass at a local Greek Orthodox Church. The hotel has arranged a tour bus to take participants to the church at about 11:30 pm tonight. I will be in bed by that stage.

We arrive back at the hotel after a very long day touring the hills. We managed to cover about 300 kms today so I won’t be long out of bed. The hotel has left us an Easter basket in our room. A nice touch.

Greek hotel offerings for the Orthodox Easter.

After dinner we are back in our room and we are soon in bed. Lynn is taking a nap before she ventures out for the midnight Mass. I just hope she hears her alarm. Within minutes of hitting the pillow she is snoring loudly. She manages to wake up in plenty of time to head downstairs to catch the bus but I get a call from the front desk just before 11:00 pm asking where she is. I am not happy that I have been woken up but concerned that Lynn has fallen asleep in the lobby. I tell them that she is indeed attending and that she should be somewhere in the hotel lobby. Not my problem as I just want to get back to sleep. Midnight Mass, really? What’s wrong with a civilised time of day for all this pageantry? Does the priest have a day at the beach planned for tomorrow?

Although it was Easter last week, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates it a week later, hence midnight Mass tonight. It’s part of an ancient ritual called the Holy Fire ceremony. In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the priest enters the tomb of Christ and emerges with a candle that has been lit by the ‘holy fire’ which is then quickly passed to every candle in the congregation at which time, when the bells toll, it is proclaimed that “Christ is risen!” to which the congregation responds, “He is risen indeed!” The devout believe the origin of the flame is a miracle and is shrouded in mystery.

Throughout the Orthodox community this ceremony is replicated. I can only think that the ‘fire’ is an eternal flame that originated in Jerusalem and was dispersed across the globe, just like the Olympic flame. What is it about the Greeks and flames??

Today in the news it was reported that tensions were high in Jerusalem as Israel had limited the number of Christian worshippers to 1,800 to enter the church.

Apparently it even applied here in Paphos at the Agios Spyridonas Church. The church was crowded so Lynn and those from the hotel had to stand in the car park to listen to the service but it meant she was in a front row ‘seat’ when the priests came out of the church and stood at a portable lectern on the front steps for the proclamation.

16 April, 2023

Day 2 of our car hire sees us head off to Nicosia.

Churches, ancient and modern, feature regularly in the Cyprus landscape.

Our route is via the A5 then the A1 to Nicosia which takes about 1:45 minutes. On approach we can see a huge Turkish flag has been painted one of the hills that backdrop the town.

The outskirts feature quite modern buildings. We park a couple of blocks west of the Ledra Street Checkpoint on a scrappy piece of dirt which costs us Euro3 for 2 hours.

After a pit stop at the local Starbucks we venture up the pedestrian mall to the Checkpoint which is a quite low-key affair but where multiple signs prohibiting taking photos are displayed. Only foot traffic is allowed through here and we can see people walking through a street market on the other side.

In contrast to the town’s outskirts, the old town has some lovely stone buildings, reminiscent of Valletta in Malta.

Walking east we come across the Panagia Phaneromeni Church which is located in the historical center of Nicosia and is the largest orthodox temple in the Venetian walls of the town. It dates back to 1872-73. At the site where today’s church is built, there was a monastery that was probably destroyed in 1571 when Nicosia was occupied by the Turks. it’s Easter Sunday today, so naturally the church is closed.

The Panagia Phaneromeni Church in Nicosia.

Along Dionysou Street more ‘ad hoc’ hoardings mark the border with Turkiye.

Lynn decides that, while we’re here, we’ll walk east to visit the Old City Hall Market and the Archbishop’s Palace. Along the way we stumble across a remnant of the C16Turkish occupation – a tiny stone mosque this side of the border.

Nearby, some ‘Banksy’ style graffiti.

Still some feelings about the divided country.

As we continue east in the now hot sun we realise that this section of town has become a re-construction zone – lots of abandoned buildings, construction sites and dust – so we also abandon the area and walk back to the car.

Abandoned buildings on the border in Nicosia.

Next stop, the late 9th Century Church of St Lazarus in Larnaca which is a 47 km drive SE along the A1/A2.

It’s named for the New Testament figure of Lazarus of Bethany, the subject of a miracle recounted in the Gospel of St John in which Jesus raises him from the dead. According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, sometime after the resurrection of Jesus, Lazarus was forced to flee Judea because of rumoured plots on his life and came to Cyprus. There he was appointed by Paul the Apostle and Barnabas as the first Bishop of Kition (now Larnaca). He is said to have lived for thirty more years and on his death was buried there for the second, and last, time. The Church of Agios Lazaros was built over the reputed (second) tomb of Lazarus.

The Phinikoudes Beach promenade at Larnaca.

Driving along the promenade at Larnaca we both say, “Luckily we didn’t book here in Larnaca!” To the left the beach is dirty grey sand with rows of sunbeds and umbrellas, and the water is flat. To the right is a strip of hotels and crowded restaurants and cafes. And that’s about it.

As we take the road out of town towards Limassol we come across an unexpected sight – the Kamares Aqueduct.

Entering Limassol on the A5 we are confronted with an ugly high-rise construction – totally out of character with the low-rise hotels opposite that line the beach.

After inspecting the local beach and amenities again we say, “Luckily we didn’t book here in Limassol!”. There is very limited access to any of the beaches so if your hotel isn’t beach front then you need to have a pool. What’s the point of having a coastal holiday if you can’t access the beach?

We have so much more available in Paphos in a far more picturesque setting and our hotel has direct access to a small beach and pier and the Med. We managed another 250 km driving today but a lot of it was on the freeway escaping Limassol.

17 April, 2023

For our final day of car hire we are going to investigate the western and northern coasts of the Republic of Cyprus. First stop is the Tomb of the Kings Archaeological Park. Once again we are charged the Retirees’ entrance fee – Euro0! Great value.

The site is a large necropolis lying about 2 kms north of Paphos Harbour. In 1980, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Paphos and Kouklia.

Some of the tombs feature Doric columns and frescoed walls. The tombs are cut into the rock and at times imitate the houses of the living.

The subterranean tombs, many of which date back to the 4th Century BC are thought to have been the burial sites of Paphitic aristocrats and high officials up to the third century AD. The name comes from the magnificence of the tombs as no kings were in fact buried here.

Yet another “tomb” – house more like it.

Part of the importance of the tombs lies in the Paphian habit of including Rhodian amphorae among the offerings in a burial. Through the manufacturing stamps placed on the handles of these amphorae, it is possible to give them a date and, through them, the other material from the same burial.

This put to rest my cynical and ongoing commentary that it was a disused quarry where the quarry workers lived underground in the cool but I don’t think so. A some time it is obvious by the stone cutting marks that large numbers of stone blocks were excavated from this site with tools and methods similar to the Egyptian processes that we saw in Egypt. At some stage or stages in this area’s history this was a quarry site.

Interestingly, the Australian Archaeological mission to Paphos is assisting with a publication about the finds.

Driving 11 kms north we arrive at Coral Bay – with lots of British-style cafes, pubs and restaurants – and its beach, surrounded by some very nice houses and villas but for most visitors you would need to drive here to utilise the beach.

Quite a nice bay and beach today but it would be heaving and baking at the height of summer with a limited capacity car park.

11 minutes’ drive further north we arrive at the marina and mill-pond sea at Agiou Georgiou Pegeias.

We wanted to drive further north to investigate the Avakas Gorge in the Pegia State Forest but Google Earth showed that we’d have to drive on dirt roads to get there, the avoidance of which is part of our car rental agreement.

Retracing part of our route so far we drive east, then north, to the Baths of Aphrodite situated on the NE coast of the Akamas Peninsula.

Traffic jam for goats crossing on the E709.

Just as we summit the hills and get a view of the sea and the town of Prodromi in the distance we hit a traffic jam. Seriously??!! It’s only when we inch around the bend that we see the cause of the jam – a seemingly never-ending herd of goats crossing the road.

50 minutes after we left our last stop we arrive at the crowded car park for the Baths. Luckily we get the last car parking spot and follow the path through a small botanical garden, complete with a stand of gum trees, to the Baths which is packed with the public holiday crowd of tourists.

Underneath an old fig tree, shaded from the warm Cyprus sun, is a small natural grotto. Water flows down a wall of rock and forms a pool amongst the moss. It is here that legend says Aphrodite would come to bathe. According to Greek mythology, she met her lover Adonis at the pool when he stopped for a drink while hunting.

Time for a pit stop so we drive back and park near a beach bar at Latchi. We were quite taken by the small village of Latchi with its beach, marina, bars and restaurants and quality-looking houses and villas as we drove through on our way to the Baths.

We arrive and order just in time as a crowd of people arrive just after us. A pint of Heineken and a chocolate milkshake later we’re ready for the hour drive to our penultimate stop – the monastery of Agios Neophytos on a wooded hill area above the village of Tala and 15 kms west of Paphos.

The original monastery cells cut into the rock face.

It was founded by the monk and recluse Neophytos in 1159. The property is currently a museum consisting of the Engleistra (Place of Seclusion, built in a natural cave, with a small chapel) and the Monastery.

The majority of the wall paintings completed in the original Engleistra portion of the monastery during Neophytos’ life were done by Theodore Apsuedes in 1183, decorated in the traditional Byzantine style.

The original cave-like cells overlooking the ‘modern’ Monastery..

Outside of the Engleistra sits the main church of the monastery, the katholikon. It is a large Venetian-inspired basilica probably built during the early 16th century. It is very atmospheric with lots of pictures of saints covering the walls and the domed ceiling supports three large chandeliers. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed.

The Monastery has always had a small community. The monks today promote the publication of historical manuscripts written within their walls in order to preserve their history.

Tonight the hire car company will collect the car from our hotel so we don’t have to do anything but leave the car keys with reception. We have managed to drive over 680 km in the past 3 days. A least we have seen a lot of the Republic of Cyprus.

18 April, 2023

Today has to be the warmest day so far in Cyprus so the plan is to relax by the pool all day but first we have to take this week’s washing back to Kristia at the laundry. Our next available laundry is over a week away in Copenhagen.

At least we will have some form of sun tan from our two weeks in Cyprus. In hindsight we probably needed to come here a week later in the year and stay for three weeks instead of two. Our first week was a little spoiled due to our colds and the chilly, cloudy weather. Our second week was much nicer and we are now very relaxed before we have three months of full-on travel.

19 April, 2023

We don’t have to check out until midday today and our transport to the airport doesn’t collect us until about 3:00 pm so I plan to do some blog catch up since I have been a bit slack and haven’t done a bloody thing since we collected the hire car last Saturday.

Lynn is still up early (therefore she makes sure that I am also awake). She plans to do a last-minute trip to the pharmacy to get a few more packets of blood pressure meds.

After a leisurely breakfast we pack our suitcases and I get stuck into doing the blog. After we check out at midday we find a nice place on the ground-floor lobby with a power point and a desk away from the other checked-out guests.

By 3:15 pm we are on the transfer bus and headed to the airport. 5 hours on a very basic plane with rock hard seats and without an entertainment system seems an eternity.

Departing Cyprus and looking back at our resort hotel.

Since we won’t be getting in to Belfast until 11:00 pm Cyprus time we ordered a meal on the plane. We won’t do that again. It was the epitome of very bad airplane food.

Crossing the French Alps on the way to Belfast.

After a long day it is nice to just be able to walk 50 meters to the hotel after we collected our luggage at Belfast International Airport.

20 April, 2023

We wake up later than we planned this morning thanks to a failure of Lynn’s phone alarm failure. However it worked out for the best as we were told that the breakfast room would be very busy this morning so we had planned to eat by 7:00 am. We rolled up for breakfast at 8:00 am and the place was almost empty.

After a reasonable breakfast we took our time to repack and checked out at 10:30 am and headed across the road to the bus terminal where we boarded the 705X Aircoach to Dublin airport.

We are staying at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Dublin airport tonight in preparation for our 1:15 pm flight tomorrow to Copenhagen.

We checked in to the Radisson at about 2:00 pm and were given an upgraded room on the top level. The hotel is being repainted so there is a strong paint smell but the room is very nice and we will have dinner at their very nice restaurant this evening.

Lynn is fascinated by the hotel’s wall clock in the lobby. This should keep her entertained for a while.

The lobby clock at the Radisson Hotel Dublin Airport.

Lynn has some ironing to do tonight then it will be an early night and hopefully her alarm will go off in the morning.

I will start a new blog page tomorrow to mark the first leg of our three month Scandinavian road trip.

Cyprus, Paphos

Royal Beach, Paphos, Cyprus Week 1

April 7, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

6 April, 2023

We wake up early at around 7:30 am local time and it is a beautiful sunny day. The maximum temperature forecast for today is a very mild 19 Deg C with a low of 12 Deg C. It already feels much warmer than that.

True to her word, Lynn heads down to the gym at 8:00 am while I take a shower and catch up on some emails. I also checked out the blog and found that when Lynn edited the blog in the Belfast airport hotel she didn’t save it correctly so I had to rewrite 3 days of the blog. NOT HAPPY!

We chose to have breakfast al fresco this morning to take advantage of the beautiful weather.

Lynn wants to walk to the harbour via the coastal walking path after breakfast then back along the streets to look for a suitable laundromat for later in the week and again for just before we leave Cyprus.

We walk past a number of beach resorts on the way but ours seems to be better than most. The pathway is quite busy but we can’t imagine how busy it could be at the height of tourist season. It is about 3 km to the harbour but with a cool sea breeze it is very pleasant.

At the harbour there is an archeological park which is more a tourist attraction than a serious dig site. At the harbour is an old fortress called Paphos Castle on the original harbour sea wall.

The castle was originally a Byzantine fort, the castle was rebuilt throughout the years and used as a prison and warehouse. Now it is a tourist attraction. Not quite in the same league as the Alexandria Fort in Egypt.

All along the harbourside are bars and restaurants all touting for business. We will probably come down here for dinner a couple of times this week just to say we ate here.

The restaurant strip from the other side of Paphos Harbour.

There are also lots of tourist boat tours, hire cars, etc operators along the harbour foreshore but Lynn is on a mission to find a laundromat in town, which frankly is a doomed mission as there is no way that I am lugging two bags of laundry 3 km from the hotel when there is one close to the hotel.

After faffing about for half an hour walking the back streets of Paphos Harbour looking for an illusive laundromat I have had enough and head back to the hotel via the main road where I know that there will be a number of laundromats. Chances are that there will be one near the University which is only about 300 meters from our hotel.

The main boulevard behind the beach resorts.

I was correct. Although I found two laundromats within 1 km of our hotel I found one at the University just around the corner. I was back and cooling off in our room for about half an hour before Lynn returned.

I have proven again that there is no need to turn a task in to a career. That is a couple of hours of my life that is wasted. I could have been having a cold, cheap beer down by the harbour.

When Lynn finally returns we head to the pool with the intention to cool off and lay in the sunshine to try and get some colour in our very pale English skins.

I crept up to my waist in the pool but it was way too cold for me. Lynn managed a full lap before returning to the sunny spot on the sunbeds to warm up. I think the only swimming while we are here will be in the indoor heated pool.

While we were wondering about the harbour this afternoon I noticed a steak restaurant that was reasonably priced. It has been a long time since I have had a good thick steak as the prices for wafer thin steaks in the UK are almost three times what we would pay in Oz.

Lynn had a steak salad which she advised was very good. Mine was an aged T Bone and very thick. I asked for it to be cooked rare but it was more like blue than rare. Still it was very tender and very big. That should last me for steak until after we return from the Scandinavian trip where I suspect that the only red meat there will be reindeer.

The sun is just setting as we hike back to the resort and twilight seems to hang around for quite a while. It is getting chilly in the evening air.

Back at our room Lynn notices that she has walked 21,493 steps or the equivalent of 13.97 km. I am tired just thinking about it.

7 April, 2023

It is going to be 21 Deg C today and Lynn is up at 7:00 am this morning for her gym and early morning walk. I am lucky to be up by 8:00 am. Lynn took a walk to the left side (as you face the sea) of the resort this morning and ended up at a tiny Greek Chapel.

As she does, she goes inside to check it out. It is Easter Good Friday today but the Greek Orthodox Easter is not until next Friday so the church is empty this morning.

Another beautiful day out so again we ate breakfast al fresco in the warm sunshine. So nice not to be hunkered down due to cold driving rain and wind.

After breakfast we headed down across the walkway to the far edge of the resort to find a couple of sun beds right by the sea. The plan is to make sure that we don’t get our now non-Ozzie skin sunburnt. I checked out the sea water but it still too cold for a swim plus there are way too many rocks amongst the coarse sand. Still, the water is crystal clear but free of any sea life. The Med is quickly becoming the Dead Sea.

I think that we managed to get slightly burnt today but Lynn has a thick coverage of factor 50 sunscreen on. Not sure that it will help her very pale complexion.

It is still a warm evening when we walked less than 100 m to the ‘Tea for Two’ Restaurant down the main road behind the resort. Neither of us was very hungry so Lynn had a tuna mayo baked spud and I have a moussaka and salad. They were excellent but still way too big. The restaurant has some amazing ice cream desserts but by the time I downed a fabulous chocolate thick shake we had yet again over done it. At least we by passed the beer and wine tonight.

8 April, 2023

Lynn developed a head cold over the past few days. She blames it on a passenger behind her that sneezed a few times during the flight to Paphos. I think that she caught it before we left. Anyway, she managed to keep me awake most of the night last night so I am exhausted by the time we head to breakfast at 9:30 am.

It is cold and cloudy this morning so we can’t lay by the pool to rest up so I head back to bed while Lynn goes to the pharmacy for some cold meds. We still need to book some activities for while we are here in Cyprus so it may be a job for later this afternoon while this last blast of winter curtails our activities at the resort.

We are now both feeling like crap and I really can’t be bothered eating so Lynn heads out for a toastie and brings me back a milkshake. I hate wasting a day in a new country but luckily the weather is also crap so it is off to bed early tonight.

9 April, 2023

Another dull day here in Paphos and although we are both feeling unwell we manage a light breakfast and we turn up for the Cyprus wine tasting at the downstairs bar at 11:00 am.

The wine tastes quite bad but maybe it’s the medication (although we are not the only dissenters).

Despite the wine being less than ordinary the local port is very drinkable. Not that we drink port these days. We need a coffee after the wine tasting to ease the pain to our palates.

After a quiet couple of days we need to take a walk so we head off along the beach front to the Greek Chapel. It is not far away but there is a threat of rain so we are back inside a half hour.

One of the hotel activities this afternoon at 2:00 pm is lawn bowls. Since it is starting to rain the game has been moved indoors. Unlike my parents I am not a big fan of bowls. Possibly because I have a bad twitch in my right hand that causes me to turn my wrist over when bowling underarm. Lynn however, like her father, is very good at bowls so we sign up for an afternoon of “ends”.

The Coach advised me to take up surfing.

I put more bowls in the gutter than on the green stuff but Lynn was the best of our group. It was a bit of fun but not something that I plan to take up when we stop traveling.

10 April, 2023

We are both feeling a little better this morning, or it might be the drugs that Lynn bought at the pharmacy. Still, we have washing to do today so we head down town after breakfast to the laundry. Kristia, the laundry owner will do our two large bags of laundry by 3:00 pm this afternoon so we will use the two trips as our exercise for the day.

On the way back to the hotel after dropping off the laundry we notice that there is a medical centre across the road from our hotel so Lynn considers making an appointment to try and get more blood pressure medication. While standing outside the practice somebody from the practice asks if we need to see the doctor. ‘Are they touting for business in Cyprus?’ I think to myself. We tell him that we are considering get a prescription for meds and he advises that Cyprus, like Spain, doesn’t require a prescription for ongoing pharmaceuticals. Since there is a pharmacy almost next door to the laundry we will stop in this afternoon before we collect the laundry.

Back at the resort we manage a couple of hours on the sunbeds before it starts to rain again. By then it is time to head to the laundry via the pharmacy. How bad are things getting that going to the pharmacy and the laundry is noteworthy? Still we manage to stock up on pharmacy items so that we have sufficient stock to last until we are due back in Brisbane in the third quarter of next year. Also Kristia has done a great job on the laundry and only charges us Eu20.00 in total.

This evening we are invited to a cocktail party as new guests of the hotel. The only cocktail offered is a Brandy Sour which is very strong and almost drinkable. The other option is a sort of sparkling local wine which probably doesn’t rate as the latter. Some finger food is offered and we chat to a couple from Leeds in the UK who are regulars to Cyprus. They have made the trek on at least 8 occasions.

11 April, 2023

The wind has whipped up from the west this morning and although it is sunny the wind is very cold. We are well enough today to start to do a few more activities. First up is a Cyprus version of French Boules. This Cyprus version is held on artificial turf on a concrete base. Lynn and I are teamed up as Team Australia and we easily take our heats to be in the finals with an Englishman and his daughter. The Ashes of Cypritic Boules…

As usual Lynn has a brilliant round and we defeat the Poms 2 nil.

Next we line up again for a Cyrpus version of shuttle board. Again the Aussies win the heats and are in the finals. We find out that the same Poms are our opponents. Lynn again smashes it and we are assured of a win but it all seems a bit unfair so I drive my chuck hard and give the game to a very happy father and his 9-year-old daughter.

Can we beat the 9-year-old and her father?

With all this sunshine and cool wind we decide to walk the 3 km to the Kato Paphos Archaeological Park. Lynn wants to check out the ruins. Since we are seniors we get in for free. The site is not particularly well signposted and really nowhere in the same league as other sites in Greece but the mosaics are very fine and in good condition.

Some of the mosaics were on the paths underfoot of the tourists, some just outside in the sun but a few were well protected inside a modern structure.

The mosaics were so detailed it was hard to imagine that they weren’t artworks.

Many of the excavations have been covered with sand again as this site is very exposed to the sea and shifting sands from the nearby beach.

At least some are protected from the elements.

After checking out the main dig site and the mosaics we headed to the headland about 500 meters further on. From here you can see Kefalos Beach and downtown Paphos. It reminds us of Athens. A harsh, densely- populated concrete city. If we manage to get a hire car next week we may drive through downtown Paphos but it is not worth walking to from here.

We reached the lighthouse on the headland then Lynn tried to find the ancient amphitheater but she took us the wrong way but eventually we doubled back to find it just under the lighthouse.

Not quite the acoustics of the theatre in Alexandria.

It is time to walk the 3 km back to the resort. I am in desperate need of ice cream. Although it is not that hot, the wind has dried us out so we stopped in at our favourite cafe near the hotel. I have be wanting to try out their banana split since our first dinner here but have never been able to fit it in. Today is the day.

When the “to be shared” banana split arrives Lynn informs me that she hates banana ice cream. A bit late now so she only eats the vanilla ice cream and I get the lion’s share of banana ice cream. We walked over 9.2 km today so we can indulge in a fat attack. Yummy!

We have already been in Cyprus for a week and it feels like we have done very little. Still, most people who come to Cyprus come for the weather and to relax by the seaside. We have certainly done that so the plan for the second week is to go and see a bit more of the country.

On the way out to dinner tonight we stop on the way to the restaurant at a tour and hire car agent and ask about renting a car. The agent is not very helpful and just tells us that they have no stock. I have also made an online inquiry but also had no response. Maybe this island lifestyle has the locals in a “can’t be bothered” mode.

Tomorrow I will stop in at the Car Rental shop that is near the laundry.

Belfast, County Carvan, Donaghcloney, Ireland, Northern Ireland

Lough Sheelin, County Cavan

March 31, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

27 March, 2023

We don’t have to check out until midday today but Lynn still insisted on getting out of bed at 7:30 am. For a change the sun is shining and it is a warm morning after an overnight minimum of -1 Deg C.

It appears that the sheep in the adjacent paddock are also happy about the change in weather. They have managed to find a hole in the fence and are enjoying mowing our lawn and walking the road outside.

Lawn mowers in the front yard this morning.

Despite taking our time we are all packed up and on the road by 11:00 am so we may be too early to check in at our next destination.

We are spending a leisurely 5 days at a beautiful golf club on Lough Sheelin in County Cavan. No cooking or cleaning up this week. The drive is about 2 hours and one stop for petrol on the way.

We arrive about 1:15 pm so we walk around the hotel grounds for about half an hour and are allowed to check in early as our first-floor, lake view room is ready.

The hotel and golf club are located on the shores of Lough Sheelin and well away from the nearest town of Oldcastle which is about 11 kms north east.

First constructed in 1759 by the Maxwell family who were one of the largest landowners and political power brokers in Cavan. In fact they were one of the largest land owners in Ireland.

Crover has a fascinating history serving as a country estate to prestigious lords, barons and colonels until 1957 when Crover House opened its doors as a hotel.

This Georgian manor house purchased by the O’Reilly family in 1992 sits majestically on the private shores of Lough Sheelin, exudes elegance with breath-taking views of the historic lake and 41 acres of meticulously landscaped grounds.

The house provides an intimate and tranquil setting for spectacular weddings, romantic getaways, golfing, fishing and much more.

The hotel and club house are magnificent so as we stroll around we shoot a few photos taking advantage of the sunny weather.

After we check in and take our luggage to the room we decide to have a drink in the restaurant and book a table for tonight before driving to Oldcastle to look for a car wash. No luck at Oldcastle so we continue a further 10 kms to Virginia to find Lynn’s hairdresser for her Friday appointment. We continue driving up the main street and manage to find a car wash behind the Applegreen Service Station. They do a great job and manage to remove a few weeks of country lane mud.

Back to the hotel to unpack and dinner. After dinner Lynn decides that we need to go for another walk but the wind has now come up and it is freezing outside. According to the weather report we are in for yet another wet week. Great weather for ducks…. or even swans.

I am ready to warm up back in our warm and cosy room but Lynn wants to get a liqueur coffee and have a quiet drink in the lounge area. I may be asleep by the time she gets back to the room.

28 March, 2023

Lynn set the alarm on her old phone for 8:00 am but now that it has coverage the phone adjusted for daylight savings so the alarm goes off at an ungodly 7:00 am. It is cold and dark but by the time we realise what has happened we are showered and dressed for a 9:00 am breakfast by 7:45 am. Not Happy!

Breakfast in the hotel dinning room is wonderful even if they had to redo my poached eggs because they were too over cooked the first time. I think that I really like this hotel.

After our leisurely breakfast we are driving to Cavan which is 23 kms away to check out the area and buy some waterproofing spray for Lynn’s outdoor jacket which is starting to show signs of wear and losing its coating after a number of cleaning attempts. Once we are back in Brisbane the coat will be retired and replaced if we travel to cold and wet countries after that time.

During our stop at the sports store in Cavan Lynn also buys a new softshell jacket with fleece lining to replace her Kathmandu jacket that she bought in Brisbane 10 years ago as it is too short and didn’t cover her behind any more, not water and wind resistant and the fleece not thick enough. 40% off – a bargain!

On the way back we return via Virginia so that Lynn gets a colour allergy skin test done at the hairdresser prior to her hair appointment on Friday. From Virginia we return to the hotel via Ballyjamesduff where Lynn notices that there are a number of farmers who drove their tractors into town to go shopping.

No need for a car when a tractor will do to go to town.

The Insignia turns over 50,000 miles when we return from Cavan.

Since Lynn has to go back to Virginia on Friday I’m thinking that she could drive herself. As she has never driven the Insignia nor driven a manual with a six-speed gearbox we decide to circumnavigate Lough Sheelin with Lynn at the wheel.

Once Lynn works out how to find 5th and 6th gear she manages the car well with only one stall when she forgets that, unlike our Calais at home, the car is a manual and you have to engage the clutch when you come to a sudden stop. Parking may be a different issue.

I think that the biggest issue with Lynn driving the Insignia is putting the driver’s seat and mirrors back in the right place for me. I have just found the ideal settings. It all sounds a bit Sheldonesk but I have very specific settings when I drive.

After dinner the rain seems to have stopped so Lynn heads out to do the Woodland Walk along the lake shore. I have eaten way too much so I just head back to the room to rest a while.

Twilight is lasting longer and later each day. Although it doesn’t feel like it yet, summer is on its way. Can’t wait to get to Cyprus and see some sunshine again.

29 & 30 March, 2023

The rain continues on and off for the next two days. It ranges from short glimpses of sunshine to complete white outs with heavy rain and strong winds. Not the days for exploring or hiking.

Since the next week is going to be hectic we just veg out for two days and do some quarter-end financial management, some preparations for the Cyprus holiday and the 3 months of the Scandinavian trip.

Due to a couple of late issues we now have to do our washing tomorrow. That means finding a laundromat in Virginia. I will do the laundry while Lynn has a hair cut tomorrow. At least I now have a need to go with her to Virginia and something to do while I wait for her.

31 March, 2023

How unusual…. it is raining again this morning. We have a quick breakfast and head into town to check out the laundromat to make sure that it is operational. It is, so I drop Lynn off at the hairdresser and I go back to the laundromat to do a couple of loads of washing and drying.

The laundromat is an outdoor module with two washers and one dryer – i.e. it’s located in a car park at the rear of a supermarket. This seems to be the trend Ireland. You usually find them at the edge of petrol station forecourts. The machines all work fine and I can pay by debit card for each load. The total cost is a bit expensive at around Eu30 but I am all done in about an hour. The biggest issue is getting the washing from the outdoor dryer to the car without getting it all wet again. I have to sit in the back seat of the car and sort out the items before bagging them for transport.

By the time I am finished I only have to wait half an hour for Lynn to be finished. Back home after driving in the wet we unpack the laundry and Lynn gets stuck in to the ironing before we both repack ready to head back to Donaghcloney for 3 nights then on to Belfast and Cyprus.

1 April, 2023

We have a late check out and depart at about 11:00am. We are driving to Donaghcloney via Dundalk for fuel then on to Newry to pick up Lynn’s laptop that could not be repaired and collect the refund.

From the Newry Computer Centre we headed to the local Tescos for some supplies for the next three days before arriving back at Harry & Jenny’s house.

After we unpack and catch up on all the comings and goings we head out to Downshire Arms Hotel for dinner.

Harry & Jenny know a couple of the staff members so we had fantastic service and even better food.

The place is packed full for a Saturday night so it looks like things are back to normal after the Covid pandemic.

2 April, 2023

We wake up to a sunny morning this morning but don’t really get moving very fast so it is well after 11:00am before we head out for a planned walk along the tow path at Drumbeg just on the outskirts of Belfast.

Beside the River Lagan at Drumbeg there is a 19th Century canal with a tow path. The tow path has been converted to a walkway that goes as far as downtown Belfast. We won’t be going that far but the plan is to walk about 3 km each way along the path.

We started the walk at the Drumbeg Parish Church at the Drumbeg bridge.

The bridge is a narrow four arch bridge that crosses the River Lagan at Drumbeg. We crossed over the bridge and headed down stream towards Belfast.

The stone bridge across the River Largan at Drumbeg.

It is cold out but we may be lucky if the rain holds off for the walk. Along the river there are a number of rapids where a canal has been built parallel. The canal has a number of locks to allow the old canal boats to travel all the way to Belfast.

We walked as far as Linen Mill Grove before heading back the same way. On our way back we came across a Heron stalking his prey. He managed to catch a small fish while we watched him.

We are due back for a late lunch of Lamb Roast but Harry suggests that we stop by at the oldest pub in Belfast for a swift half pint. As it is Sunday the little pub is heaving with the Sunday lunch crowd. We head to the public bar for a refreshing beer and Lynn has a glass of Merlot.

A swift half turned in to two and we even booked a table for tomorrow dinner for 6:30 pm.

Back at Donaghcloney Jenny has kept the roast lamb warm but it is more like dinner than lunch. The lamb is wonderful and very tender. Spring lamb at its best.

3 April, 2023

The weather is still a bit chilly this morning but at least it isn’t raining. After a late breakfast we head out to Lurgan Park for a short walk around the lake.

This afternoon we need to reorganise our suitcases in preparation for our two weeks in Cyprus and our three months in Scandinavia. We have managed to accumulate excess “stuff” over the last 6 months so any non essentials will be left in the car for our return.

By 6:00 pm we are off, back to Drumbeg and Robert Stewart’s Spirit Grocery for dinner. We managed to eat way too much and finished off a bottle of red wine.

4 April, 2023

We have a few things to sort out before we depart this afternoon for Belfast International Airport at 2:00 pm. I take the car down to the local car wash and pick up some snacks for the flight. The flight departs at 9:30 am tomorrow so we are staying at the Maldron Hotel which is right at the airport.

Jenny was planning to go with us to the airport but by the time we loaded up Jenny’s VW T-Roc it is evident that only one suitcase will fit in the boot of her SUV so our second case has to ride in a passenger seat. We say our goodbyes to Jenny and Harry drives us the half hour to the airport.

After checking in I do some catching up on the blog and we do a final sort, repack and weigh our luggage. Dinner tonight is in the hotel dinning room where we attempt to consume a three course meal.

Our accommodation tonight includes a hot breakfast but unfortunately the hotel hot breakfast doesn’t start until after 7:00 am so we will have to settle for a continental breakfast as we really need to be at the check in counter by 7:15 in the morning.

5 April, 2023

We are up very early this morning (at least for us) and have showered and had breakfast by 7:00 am. We check out and walk the 30 meters to the departures check in desk. We are all checked in and only need to do a bag drop but have to queue up for about 20 minutes. It seems that the British still haven’t worked out how to automate a bag drop system yet.

I hate low cost airlines but we had no choice for this trip as Jet2 is the only operator that goes to Paphos direct from Belfast. There is no entertainment on the five and a half hour flight and you have to purchase everything from a meal to a glass of water. It is a wonder that they don’t charge for toilet paper.

We arrived at Paphos airport at 4:30 pm local time which is 2 hours ahead of Belfast time. We hit the baggage claim and waited 45 minutes for our luggage and ours was first off our flight. These guys make Brisbane airport seem efficient. A further half hour wait for all the stragglers to get on the transfer bus but luckily the hotel is only 20 minutes from the airport. We check in just after 6pm.

We are staying at the 5 star rated (probably closer to 4.5 stars) hotel called Constantinou Bros Athena Royal Beach Hotel. Our room overlooks the sea and seems a good size with super king bed and modern bathroom. This will do nicely for the next 14 days.

After unpacking we head to the hotel restaurant for dinner. The hotel has a number of restaurants but we opt for the buffet tonight so that we can crash out early. The food is very good and reasonably priced compared to Ireland and the UK. The hotel has an option for guests to buy half and full board but we want to try out a number of the local restaurants while we are here but we may take up their offer next week depending on what we find.

We are told that the tap water is not drinkable but the hotel charges for bottled water which seems a bit rough, however the bottled water is only EU2 per litre at the restaurant and only EU0.75 in the hotel shop (EU0.5 in the local supermarkets). We are given a bottle of cheap Cyprus red wine and a fruit platter as a welcome gift from the hotel but Lynn states that she wants to go to the hotel gym every morning and stay off the booze for the duration of our stay. I wonder how long that will last. Any bets?

County Wicklow, Ireland

Corriebracks, County Wicklow

March 26, 2023 Yogi and Boo Boo Leave a comment

20 March, 2023

We are really going to miss The Yew Tree Cottage. We checked out just before 10:00 am and headed to our next cottage at Corriebracks, County Wicklow. It is only about one-and-a-half hours’ drive due north and the route takes us through Bunclody, Tullow and Baltinglass. These towns seem to be very nice towns which may be worth a return visit in the future.

The drive is relatively easy with only a couple of showers on the way. By 11:15 am we have driven through the little village of Hollywood which is just about 7 kms from the cottage and the closest village.

According to local legend, it was a local man who emigrated to the USA and settled in California just outside Los Angeles. The immigrant in question was Mathew Guirke, born in 1826 in Hollywood, Wicklow, Ireland. Mathew arrived in America in 1850 and later established himself in the Los Angeles area. He named his new homestead Hollywood in honor of his hometown.

Harvey H. Wilcox had purchased 120 acres on February 1, 1887. The name was immortalized when Harvey filed a subdivision map to the Los Angeles County recorder’s office, with the name “Hollywood.”

Just after we arrive at the cottage the host arrives to give us the door key and a tour of the cottage. She only lives down the road but in this area that could be 5 kms away.

The cottage is in an area called Corriebracks and is going to be very quiet out here miles away from anyone – except for the sheep in the next paddock which are due to start lambing next week.

The road (read track) in front of the cottage.

This area has some sheep farms nearby but is located on the edge of a pine forest so we will have plenty of logging tracks to hike while we are here (if it doesn’t rain all week).

After we unload the car we head back to the village of Hollywood to check it out. The village has a small cafe that is incredibly busy (probably as it seems to be the only open eating establishment in town). We stop in for coffee and cake and check out the menu. The cafe is mainly open for breakfast and lunch but is open for dinner on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so we plan to have dinner here on Friday.

The Hollywood Cafe, County Wicklow, Ireland.

After a hot beverage we continue on to Blessington which is a further 11 kms but the closest town with a supermarket. Just in case the weather is horrible this week we buy enough supplies for four dinners but the plan is to return to Blessington to dine at a few of its restaurants or pubs.

On our way back to the cottage we continue on to the end of the track which is only about 1 km further on from the cottage. At the end of the track are a couple of logging roads for hiking this week, subject to rain. On the way back down the track we came across a young deer so we stop to get a photo. This is where the big camera would have come in handy as we can’t get close enough for a decent photo with our phone.

Time to unpack and check out the cottage facilities. Lynn notices the clothes line out the back which is embedded in a rock. It is more like a clothes line for leprechauns.

Optimistic having a clothes line in Ireland.

Just for some perspective I took a photo of the clothes line with a leprechaun beside it.

Pegging knickers out here may be temporary.

21 March, 2023

Lynn wants to go back to the Hollywood Cafe this morning for breakfast but by the time we wake up, are showered and dressed it is 11:30 am – nearly lunch time. Still we head to town only to find that every street in the village (the 2 of them) are lined with cars. Apparently there is a funeral service on today and the entire population of Hollywood and surrounding areas is attending.

We drive the 7 kms back to the cottage and Lynn makes breakfast (or lunch really).

We are reminded that the cottage is located on a paved logging track when a fully-laden logging truck drives past the front door.

After brunch we dress up in our wets and take a walk down the paddock opposite to the creek. The plan is to follow the tractor track but after all the rain the creek is in full flow so we can’t cross without getting very wet.

We start to walk parallel to the creek but without a trail the gorse and tussocks make it too difficult to get too far so we walk back up the trail and follow the road to the logging trails.

Once at the logging tracks we take the highest track up into the hills.

The skies are getting very dark as we check out a side track and then start to head back to the cottage. Up on the track we come across a hunting hide platform.

Across the valley Lynn also notices what could be described as “crop circles”. To me it just looks like someone had fun with a tractor some time ago.

Circles of fun on the hills in the distance.

It is now starting to rain again so it is time to step up the walking pace back to the cottage or we will also be covered in the thick moss that blankets the nearby stone walls and the forest floor.

Not far from the cottage is a very nice stone house. Other than it is in the middle of nowhere it looks very comfortable.

We aren’t back very long when it starts to rain and the wind increases significantly. Time for a warm cuppa by the heater.

We spend most of the evening trying to navigate the incorrect instructions from HSBC about setting up the new Global Money Account card which we will use for the Scandinavian currency payments. In the end they admit that their instructions are missing a step which made the setup impossible. Yet another example of poor user acceptance testing before releasing a product or service. When will companies realise that they just piss customers off when they try to short cut product releases??

22 March, 2023

We wake to a brilliant, sunny day! This morning is our second attempt to head down to the Hollywood Cafe for breakfast. Lynn is out of bed by 7:00 am so she must be very excited to go to the cafe this morning.

Breakfast is very good but a bit much for me. I prefer a light breakfast of fruit, yogurt and cereal but they do a very good soft poached egg and an excellent coffee.

After breakfast we plan to walk a few trails around the village known as St Kevin’s Way. We do the first section of the walk but the ground is very wet and boggy and even though it is a bright sunny morning when we start out the clouds are getting darker and the wind is coming up. A local informs us that it will be raining by midday.

As the wind increases I realise that I should have worn more of my winter woollies and was fooled by the sunny skies this morning.

Even Lynn is cold and she has her full kit on.

Further along the valley we come to what looks like the crop circles that we can see from the cottage. It is now obvious that these circles are just old feeding spots for the local sheep.

Originally Lynn thought that we could just walk a full circuit around a hill near the village but our planned track is locked off by a farm gate. It is too far in the mud and cold wind to do the full 30 kms St Kevin’s Way from Hollywood to Glendalough so we have to back track the mere 1.4 kms to the village.

Back to solid ground with mud-covered boots.

Once back to the road it is a matter of trying to remove mud from our boots so we stroll past the Hollywood Inn to see when it is open. From there we find a small stream with a footpath called Watery Lane that takes us back through the church graveyard to the Hollywood Cafe and the car.

While we are in the graveyard we locate the grave from yesterday’s funeral. While Lynn checks out the interior of the church I speak to the graveyard maintenance guy who is trying to mow the very wet grass around the graves.

Inside the Church of St. Kevin, Hollywood.

Apparently James Clarke was 84 and had been ill for a couple of years. He was very much involved with establishing and managing the local school hence why the school was closed yesterday during the funeral. All the teachers and board members were at the funeral.

Back at the cottage while it rains again we complete our work setting up the new HSBC debit card and currencies required for the Scandinavian countries and adding the card to our hotel bookings. Oh look, sunshine again!

It seems that the local sheep are very interested in spying on their new neighbours.

23 March, 2023

It’s mid-morning and Lynn has planned a number places to visit today in and around Glendalough (Irish: Gleann Da Loch meaning ‘valley of two lakes’). Glendalough is a glacial valley in Co. Wicklow renowned for an early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th Century by St Kevin.

First stop is the view point at the Wicklow Pass.

From the Wicklow Mountains Viewing platform.

We drive through the Pass and down the narrow valley until we arrive at Glendalough and park next to the stone wall which encircles the monastic settlement.

There are a number of stone structures within the settlement including: the impressive Round Tower, cemetery, and ruins of the Priests House, St Kevin’s and St Kieran’s Churches and the Glendalough Cathedral.

The Round Tower is about 30 m high with an entrance 3.5 m above the ground. Originally the tower had 6 timber floors connected by ladders. Round towers, landmarks for approaching visitors were built as bell towers, but occasionally also served as store houses and as places of refuge in times of attack.

The chancel and sacristy date from the late 12th and 13th Centuries.

As we walk towards St Kevin’s Church we look up the valley to see a wall of rain heading our way.

St Kevin’s Church is commonly known as St Kevin’s Kitchen as the bell tower resembles a kitchen chimney. The steep roof, formed of overlapping stones is supported internally by a semi-circular vault.

It starts to rain heavily so we exit the settlement and head to the coffee cart near to our parked car. We were going to drink our take away coffees in the car until the shower passed, but instead got talking to Sandra and Margaret, sheltered by the cart’s awning.

Sandra & Margaret at their coffee trailer.

A 2-minute drive up the R757 to the car park between the Upper and Lower Lakes marks the beginning of several trails, one of which is to view the Poulanass Waterfall.

The 12-minute walk up the path to view the waterfall is part of the Wicklow Way, a 131-kilometre long-distance trail that crosses the Wicklow Mountains. I don’t think that we will walk the full trail in this weather.

Another path branches off the trail which heads downhill to the site of St Kevin’s Cell which overlooks the Upper Lake.

Further downhill in a grove of trees are the ruins of Reefert Church which dates from c. 1100 and is surrounded by some ancient tomb stones. The name derives from Righ Feata, the burial place of kings referring to the local rulers – the O’Toole Clan.

The path then leads to the shores of Upper Lake. You can understand why St Kevin decided to establish his monastery here, surrounded by stunning scenery and so very peaceful.

On our return home we stop at the site of the Hero Mine in the Glendasan Valley. Glendalough and the nearby Glendasan valleys were the most important sites for lead mining in Ireland. The main lead mineral in Wicklow is galena (PbS) which often contains small amounts of silver and could be extracted economically.

Lead was first discovered in Glendasan in the early 19th Century and later these veins were followed through the mountainside to the adjacent valley of Glendalough. The earliest phase of mining, dating from the turn of the 19th Century was when the Avoca mines’ manager, Thomas Weaver, was commissioned by the Government to undertake a survey of gold in County Wicklow. Not long after the 1798 Rebellion he discovered a rich vein of lead ore in the Glendasan valley.

View from the Hero Mine ruins on Miner’s Way back to Glendalough.

The Mining Company of Ireland took over operation of the Glendasan mines in 1825. A year later a road to the Luganure ore body was constructed and on it a railway track was also laid which extended 126 feet into the mine. Dressing floors for separating the ore were built on the site. To extract this ore body ‘The Hero Mine’ was opened.

Beside the carving of the glaciated valley, the power of ice is evident in the cleaving of a large boulder at the Hero Mine site.

Just before we arrive back at the cottage we stop to take a photo of an abandoned dwelling covered in thick moss in a field adjacent to the logging track – both the ruins and the thick moss are prevalent in this area.

At 5:30 pm we depart for the Hollywood Inn which apparently has won the 2023 Best Gastro Pub Award. The food was just OK but since it is the only restaurant for miles around the prices were a bit over the top for average quality meals.

The Hollywood Inn (aka Old Stage Coach Inn).

24 March, 2023

The original plan for today was to go for a 3 km hike in the forest trails behind The Hollywood Inn but just as we are about to leave the cottage it starts to rain heavily yet again. Change of plan. We will go for the hike tomorrow and today we will take a drive around the Liffey Reservoirs after coffee and cake at the Hollywood Cafe. The drive takes us through Valleymount and we end up at Blessington to pick up a couple of supplies.

The Liffey reservoirs are the main water supply for Dublin and was created by damming the Liffey River which runs in to the Dublin City Centre.

On the Eastern side of the reservoir there are a number of sheep paddocks where spring lambs have been born.

The rain managed to stay away during our drive but just as we turn in to the lane to the cottage it starts to rain again. It must be the valley at the cottage that seems to be a rain funnel.

25 March, 2023

It rains on and off all day today so Lynn is completing her “must see” Scandinavian list and I do the washing. This will be our last washing day until the day before we fly out to Cyprus in 10 days’ time.

All a bit boring today but chores have to be done. We also need to start to consider our bookings for the Midlands and southern Scotland for early August.

The highlight of the day is driving into the village for pizza at the Hollywood Cafe.

26 March, 2023

It is the start of daylight savings in Europe today so we are up earlier than we would have liked. However, we planned to get an early start this morning for a hike around the pine forest opposite the Hollywood Demesne before it is forecast to rain this afternoon.

We park the car at the Hollywood Inn and walk up the street to the junction with the logging road at the start of the forest.

It is a steep climb through the pine forest but at least the road is not muddy and the rain seems to be holding off. The planned route this morning should take about an hour and is approximately 5 kms long but quite steep at the start.

At the top of the hill the plantation has been logged recently. It is a bit ugly up here but will be replanted in the summer.

We pass by lots of dog walkers going in the opposite direction including a group of young scouts and their families. It seems that people are emerging from their winter hibernation.

At least the walk back to the village of Hollywood is all down hill and we have a good view of the valley.

On our return to the village we head straight to the Hollywood Cafe for coffee. The cafe is heaving this morning with hikers, dog walkers, cyclists and ordinary folk. There are no inside or undercover tables available so we grab a take-away coffee and sit out front at one of the outdoor picnic tables. The clouds are definitely building but we manage to finish our coffee and walk back to the car without getting seriously wet.

Lynn wants to try and get a photo of the Hollywood sign that the locals have put up in a paddock that overlooks the village to copy the one in Hollywood, Los Angeles but getting a clear view without climbing up the paddock is impossible.

I have included a photo below from someone else’s climb but the version we see today spells: Hollyw – the ‘ood’ having fallen over. Apparently the local council intends to build a sturdier, and probably larger, sign to replace the current one.

This afternoon we have to do some accommodation bookings for after our Scandinavian trip and tomorrow we are off to Crover House Hotel and Golf Club near Virginia for 5 days. That’s Virginia, County Cavan, Ireland, not the one in the USA.

THE CONTINUING TRAVELS OF YOGI & BOO BOO