Who is Online

We have 208 guests and no members online

 

 

As it turned out, we did see some things nearby that we missed last time, when we rented an apartment across-town near the main station. Among these: a wealthy sailors' marina; a memorial to lost mariners; 'The Little Mermaid'; and the Citadel - all a short stroll from the ship.

"But why do the boat owners need to be wealthy," we asked (the boats in the marina were not particularly impressive)?  "It's expensive to moor here because the boats need to be taken out of the water each winter - when this bay freezes solid," we were told.


 

From the ship we chose a bus excursion around Copenhagen. First stop was the Royal Palace - yes Denmark is a Constitutional Monarchy too. And if that persists long enough the monarch will eventually be part-Australian, thanks to the Crown Prince meeting a nice Australian girl, Mary Donaldson, in a Sydney bar.

The couple have four children in-line (second onwards - sequentially) to the throne. The marriage has resulted in new links being established between the two countries, particularly in health-related initiatives.

The Royal Palaces (four of them - relatively modest - as palaces go)

The bus tour provided glimpses of familiar and less familiar sites, like the statue of Hans Christian Anderson flashing past (not the one in the photo below - see our previous trip - here).

Europe22 Germany to Holland 67

 

Later I went off to the Museum of Modern Art only to find it closed.  But on the way back to the ship I decided to explore the historic star shaped fort known as the Kastellet (Citadel) with its mote and windmill - in addition to the compulsory old cannon.  It remains an active barracks, beautifully maintained, with guards on duty.  Even today, it would be difficult to attack, using infantry alone; or by rioters.

 

Europe22 Germany to Holland 68

 

 And so it was back to the ship for the last leg of our journey - out of the Baltic and around to Amsterdam.

 

No comments

Travel

Hawaii

 

 

 

 

 

When we talked of going to Hawaii for a couple of weeks in February 2018 several of our friends enthusiastically recommended it. To many of them it's a nice place to go on holidays - a little further to go than Bali but with a nicer climate, better beaches and better shopping - with bargains to be had at the designer outlets.

 


Waikiki

 

To nearly one and a half million racially diverse Hawaiians it's home.

 

 


Downtown Hilo

 

To other Americans it's the newest State, the only one thousands of miles from the North American Continent, and the one that's more exotic than Florida.

Read more: Hawaii

Fiction, Recollections & News

Bonfire (Cracker) Night

 

 

We children were almost overcome with excitement.  There had been months of preparation.  Tree lopping and hedge trimmings had been saved; old newspapers and magazines stacked into fruit boxes; a couple of old tyres had been kept; and the long dangerously spiky lower fronds from the palm trees were neatly stacked; all in preparation. 

Read more: Bonfire (Cracker) Night

Opinions and Philosophy

Now we are vaccinated

 

 

 

Now that every adult in my extended family is vaccinated is my family safe from Covid-19?

The short answer is no.  No vaccine is 100% effective. Yet, we are a lot safer. 

It's a bit hard to work it out in Australia as, although we are familiar with lockdowns, we have so little experience with the actual disease.

Read more: Now we are vaccinated

Terms of Use

Terms of Use                                                                    Copyright