Home comforts

Today I'm writing from the comfort of the home of my friend Arnold, in Amersfoort, Netherlands.  Yesterday we drove down from Groningen along the side of the Ijsselmere and arrived in Amersfoort in time to walk the dogs and enjoy a family meal and a few beers with Arnold, Ineke and family.  Pictures to be posted at some point, especially of the dogs - a pair of splendid Tervuren Belgian Shepherds.

I want to briefly return the tale to Kopenhagen and share a couple of pictures of the crazy church with outside stairs!  It's the Church of Our Saviour / Vor Frelsers Kirke and the top third or so of the steps are around a spiral on the outside.  We were first in the queue to go up it and I enjoyed an interesting solitary experience climbing round the outside at 40/50 metres high in a howling gale.  Quite refreshing.  I didn't take any decent pictures to prove I actually got to the top where the stairs become about a foot wide and it's a bit of a tight squeeze that you have to back down to be able to turn round... you have to take my word.  You get quite a fantastic view over the spires of Copenhagen even from the viewing gallery without going to the top, but it's such a unique idea that I had to post the piccies.  Fran made it to the base of the spiral and was happy enough to hold on tight and then go back down.

I haven't got many pictures to share of the drive down through Denmark and the top of Germany since not a lot happens except fields, wind and straight roads!  Here is the bridge that goes from Korsor to Nyborgin Denmark and costs 220DKK to cross.  We were camped at the eastern end of it the other night.  We then avoided the Hamburg /Bremen motorway chaos by heading around the north via a ferry across the Elbe and tunnel under another bit of water.

We had a lovely couple of hours in Groningen at my cousin Natalies flat on Thursday evening catching up over coffee. 

Yesterday we stopped for lunch in a small fishing town on the Ijsselmere called Urk where the heron was sort of sunbathing on one of the pontoons.

And now we're spending a couple of days with my old boss (from EDS/HP) Arnold in Amersfoort chilling out, putting the world to rights, quaffing a few beers and sleeping in a real bed before driving the short distance down to Calais for return to the home island on Tuesday.

Having a quickie

Just using some internet at the campsite, near Lubeck, Germany...  so thought we'd pass on a few words.  Also using a German keyboard so might write a few sentences the way it wants to type them for your entertainment.

Had a great couple of dazs in Denmark including Kopenhavn which is somewhere we both think deserves a repeat visit and a bit more time.  Driven lots zesterdaz and todaz and covered about 800kms, but planning to be in Groningen bz tomorrow night, so need to get a shift on.  Have left Scandinavia behind todaz, so bought some food now prices are reasonable, and Iäve enjozed a beer for the first time in a couple of weeks ß out of a plastic bottle, but it still tastes good.  Pazed big tolls to cross first from Malmo to Kopenhagen (Sweden to Denmark), then across the one the other side to get to Odense this morning...  but zou donät get to do these things often.

The campsite tonight is the first time that weäve had to trz a bit of the native language for a while, since the guz on reception doesnät seem to do English.  Weäve got bz and I think we know the score.  Got internet anzwaz.

Enough for now since F wants to check email and stuff, so Iäll post again in a couple of dazy.  Hope the text makes sense ß itäs not too different on this kezboard unless zou want a "y", "-", "'" and mazbe a couple of other kezs!!

Great Expectations

Sweden really is a very lovely and intriging place. As Mark has already hinted at we went to an Ikea in Sweden, which was intended to be a bit of treat for me (very sad I know but I am a big fan). Well I don't know what I was expecting but it was a huge disappointment. It was just like the one in Wembley!!!! I somehow expected it to be more Swedish. I guess I thought that the version we got must be a watered down, slightly Anglicised version but alas, we get the real thing. I suppose that should make me really happy and it does but I cannot hide my disappointment that there are no surprises in a Swedish Ikea. Having said that I am quite convinced you cannot buy childrens rocking mooses in England.

My other great mismatch of expectation came in the form of the Viking warship - I mean how interesting can a Viking warship be? Well, it would appear that it was one of the beautiful and biggest man made wooden things I have ever seen. We only went to the museum because we thought we probably should as we were so close but I am so glad we did. Considering what a sad story the ship had to tell and what a failure it was, it was just so lovely. I find it completely unbelievable that people went to such lengths to make such a stunning ship to then send it out to war. I do realise there was a lot of symbolism on the ship that was designed to offend or frighten the opposition but really... the lengths they went to! It sank because they tried to make it too big and too grand!

Mark managed to squeeze in a ride on a roller coaster whilst we were in Stockholm. It was called "Insane". I felt ill just watching him!

Hej Stockholm

Stockholm is a great city.  We camped up and got the T-Bana into town, then we bought a couple of Stockholm cards which pretty much meant we could go anywhere for free for 24 hours.  So getting value for money, we have done lots of things - Boat tour(s), Vasa Museum, Aquarium, Theme Park, Cathedral, Royal Palace state rooms and treasury and a few other bits...

The Vasa is worth commenting on.  It's a boat that they raised from the seabed after 333 years and it's really well preserved.  Ignoramus that I am (in fact WE are, cos Fran didn't know either), we thought it was some small viking vessel or something, nothing too special.  Well, it's about 200 feet long and was a battleship of it's time when Sweden was fighting with Poland.  It sank on it's maiden voyage, 1500 metres from leaving the dock!!  Anyway, it's pretty cool and the museum is well worth it.

We're now heading back down Sweden, on our way to Copenhagen, and tonight we are moored up on the Island of Oland, which is where a lot of the Swedes take their summer holiday.  I have stood in the baltic and waved across towards Riga for Pete, who I realise is not there on a Sunday, and that there's no line of sight either, but the thought counts.

Here's another picture for Lara too - we found one of Rufus' younger sisters today and they shared a photographic moment or two ;-)

There was a storm threatening to blow through but it sort of passed a bit to the north leaving some really impressive skies.  But that's gone now, so I'm going for a run - to leave the laptop for Fran to maybe add some messages?  TTFN.

Welcome to Sweden

It's beginning to sink in quite how much of a journey this really is turning into...  We're over 9000 kms and, depending on what a "country" is, we've seen about 12 in what is now day 38 away from the UK.  Just the last couple of days it's started to be "so what country is this?"  It's still fantastic and when we think back through the last weeks the amount we have seen and done is amazing!  One week ago we were in Bergen, -2 weeks Hamburg, -3 South France / North Italy etc...  And every time we cross an international border we get handy welcome texts to both  phones.  They are the only texts I get!

So, more big scenery from Norway...  We've now been as far north as this trip will take us and it truly feels like we're on our way home, boo hiss ;-(  We went up to Alesund on the west coast and have since headed down the bigger roads via Lillehammer, and returned to Sweden.  Believe it or not we still have norwegian money, either things weren't so expensive or we calculated it wrong.  Hmm, let me think?

Today we crossed sweden from Karlstad to Stockholm (breakfasting in IKEA) and are camped up for the night with plans to have a 2 night stop, yes you heard right!  We will go into the city tomorrow on the underground which stops nearby.

Despite all attempts and a multitude of signs, we haven't seen any moose, or mice!  A fair number of deer, big and small, but no mooses.  We have acquired Horace a new chum in the shape of a magnetic-mini-moose, no name yet - see photo.  Also came across a cat in a wall which ran into the wall when we attempted to befriend it!

Here's a new picture of the van for ny niece Lara, as requested, showing that we too have seen some water from the sky, it's not all shorts and sunbathing you know!  This is where we stayed in Alesund, in a car park on the harbour with only 2 other vans for company.  It looks wetter than I remember, since we went for a good stroll and I climbed the 414+53 (it's what the sign said!) steps up the hill to see the view.

God's Own Country

To steal a title from a friend's mum, this really is God's own country and there are bits where I am totally stunned by the beauty of it all. I have wanted to come to Norway for a while and I was worried that it might be a disappointment but it isn't. There is so much to love about it all. Things we have seen: lots of snow, lots of water and lots of mountains; also 3 magnificent deer, a dolphin (small), three red squirrels, some rain (infact it is pouring down now) and some wonderful sunsets.

We seem to have this incredible knack of arriving in countries just as they start celebrating and Norway is no exception. Come to think about it I think that mainland Europe does a lot more celebrating and a lot more bank holidays than we do! Today is Constitution day. So far we have established that they dress up in Tradition costume (very ornate floral pattern but mainly black), the children parade through the wet streets accompanied by a big brass band and they tie trees to the bridges. Once again a tradition that involves trees.

It is a huge and magnificent country full of breathtaking views but my favourite was our view from the campsite over the end of the world the other night.

Lots more to see and do. Thanks for all the comments.

PS. The sun has been shining most of the time we have been in Norway!

Couple of catch-ups...

It seems my banking issue has been resolved - the A&L have repaid my money, although I'm sure I will still need to do some confirmations when I get home.

Sad to hear about Edie, and hope the funeral / wake gave her a good send off.

Pete - when we reach the Baltic, we'll be sure to wave across to Talin.  But it's a strech too far to get there and back in our timescale ;-)

Keep up the good work everyone.