Prelude
I think there are three parts to an adventure. There is the planning stage, That time when Lonely Planet books are consulted, Google maps are looked at and you try to figure out how you can possibly fit this itinerary into the alloted time. Kris and I don't do package or organised tours. We book our flight, in this case to Copenhagen, we book our return flight, from Istanbul five weeks later, and in between we make it up as we go along.
The second part is the actual adventure. The day to day magic that happens when you are out of your comfort zone and everything is new. Every city, every street, every cafe, bar, restaurant, every person you meet is new and unfamiliar.
And then there are the memories. The trip itself flashes by but years, decades later, you remember. Most of my life has unfolded because of what has happened whilst travelling. On my first trip to Europe in 1983 I met Sharon on a train in Switzerland. She was Canadian and we corresponded after we both returned home. A year later I visited her in Ottawa and on that trip met a bloke, Dave, who would become a best friend, he was my best man at my wedding. Dave lived in LA and I visited him often. On one trip to visit Dave I drove a car from LA to Milwaukee and during that trip I met Annette whom I married, moved to America and had my first Daughter Nicole. None of that would have happened if I hadn't jumped on a little branchline train on a whim in Switzerland on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
It's too easy to get comfortable in our familiar surroundings. When we travel we never know what might happen next. One time in Switzerland I got talking to the train driver on whose train I had just travelled, when he found out I too was a train driver he invited me to his house where I had dinner and stayed the night. We kept in touch for years!
Kris and I have travelled overseas three times before this trip. It's often said that you never really know a person until you travel with them and I believe this. Never settle down with someone until you've travelled overseas with them. Our previous trips have been to Italy and France mainly, places that I was familiar with. This trip is different. We will be travelling to countries that will be new to both of us. People think of Eastern Europe as a bit more risky when compared with commonly travelled countries like Italy, France, Germany and Spain. After having travelled for much of my life if there is one thing I'm sure of it is that 99% of people are good, that will help you if you ask, and I have no reason to believe that this trip to Eastern Europe will be any different.
Day 1
Melbourne to Copenhagen
We are on our way! Our amazing neighbour, Dom, drove us to the airport in pouring rain. I don't normally get excited about flying or airports but I must mention Doha airport where we arrived after a 15 hour flight from Melbourne. On our last few trips we have stopped at Bangkok which is a pretty crappy airport. Doha is amazing, it even has an indoor train that takes you between terminals. The airport is spotless and there are staff everywhere constantly cleaning. They also have smoking lounges everywhere and unlike the smoking lounges at most airports where you don't have to light a cigarette to inhale, the ones here were a breath of fresh air :-) There is also an amazing garden that has little cubby houses where you can have a sleep.
ABOVE: The driverless train that moves people around the terminal at Doha.
ABOVE: The garden at Doha airport, it even had recorded sounds of birds whistling.
ABOVE: Kris took this photo from the plane leaving Doha. BELOW: Another photo from Kris above Denmark.
I'm writing this a few hours after getting off our plane at Copenhagen. The flight from Doha was with Finnair, whom I'd not flown with before. I liked them, at the end of the trip the flight attendent was giving away beer and wine to whoever wanted it saying "you paid for it, take it" We got on the driverless train from Copenhagen airport to the station near our hotel. I had purchased an ESim but I couldn't get it to work so we were having trouble finding our hotel. I went into a shop and asked but I think I misunderstood the instructions and we ended up getting further away from where we needed to be. We had plans to do a bit of sightseeing but after our aimless walk we were fading fast so grabbed a pizza at a cafe near our hotel.
The hotel that Kris booked is right next to the railway north just north of downtown Copenhagen. It's a very busy station with about 6 tracks. Here is a view BELOW from our hotel balcony. I'm fading fast but hopefully after a good sleep I'll be in top form tomorrow!
Day 2 Copenhagen
Jetlag doesn't usually affect me too much, perhaps because I've done shift work all my life, but not this trip. After our pizza it was lights out at 8:00pm but I woke up at midnight, 2am, 4am and then wide awake at 5am!
After the worst nights sleep ever we decided to get out of the hotel room at about 8am. One of the things Kris wanted to see was the little mermaid statue. We walked down to the water under beautiful blue skies, actually the weather was perfect and there were many people out jogging along the waterfront. The autumn colours were amazing!
ABOVE: The Little Mermaid is not the most impressive statue I've ever seen but it is a major tourist drawcard in Copenhagen. Anyway, it's a must do around these parts.
ABOVE: Just after seeing the Little Mermaid we kept walking along the water towards the Copenhagen CBD and came across this bridge, the church's bell was ringing as it was Sunday morning.
A little bit further on we came across old mate David. I last saw him in Florence, David said he has been up in Denmark for a bit of a holiday, he said he's heading south soon as the weather is getting colder. He remarked, "Would it have killed Michelalgelo to have given me a coat, or at least a jumper?"
ABOVE: Next thing we came upon the Royal Castle where King Frederik and our Aussie Queen Mary live. It's a very accessible castle, you can virtually walk right up to the front door. Now I must tell you a story, many years ago I applied for a job as a paparazzi photographer. I did the course but at the end of it they said I was crap and to consider any other form of employment. I was miffed! Just after I took this photo and this big door opened and Queen Mary drove out of it in her Audi. I was gobsmacked and too awestruck to even think to raise the camera to my face. So I guess what I was told at the paparazzi course all those years ago was true.
ABOVE & BELOW: We kept walking and I found a courtyard with these amazing climbing trees, some of the leaves were so bright that I though they were fake.
ABOVE: We kept walking, we took a shortcut through a department store that reminded me of Myers except that it actually had people in it. If you're coming to Denmark and wondering what underwear to wear, I'm here to help with this photo! BELOW, in the same department store I quite liked this display.
We trudged on and came across this grafitti. I asked a local about it and was told that there is a local miscreant named "Gaza" that has been up to no good and was thrown in jail. Apparently many locals consider him to be innocent of the crimes of which he was convicted of, hence the grafitti. :-)
ABOVE: This is probably the most photograped and most touristy part of Copenhagen. It has a name but I can't remember it. We had an amazing coffee here.
We had just seen Mary leave the palace and saw this poster. I couldn't stand for this disrespect so I tore it down. How dare they!
ABOVE: We walked on and who should I bump into but old mate Brad. We had a chat and he told me that as he is starting to look old he tends to go to holiday in out of the way places where he won't get recognised. I replied that he should wait till his teeth and hair fall out. "I'm rich enough that that won't happen to me" was has his reponse. Can't argue with that!
ABOVE: The latest chair coverings in Denmark, you saw it here first!
ABOVE: This shop mystified me a bit so I asked a local, apparently Jorck is a famous proctologist in Copenhagen.
ABOVE: The main train station at Copenhagen with a train ready to depart.
ABOVE: After resigning as Premier of Victoria, old mate Dan had to find some form of income and he set up a taxi company in Copenhagen, Good on him I say!
ABOVE: We eventually made it to this amazing food hall recomended by our neighbour Kristina who is Danish. We had egg & shrimp and Danish meatballs with a lovely pilsner.
After lunch we walked on and saw this, I was reminded of that Bob Dylan song "You can't win with a losing hand"
ABOVE: A famous landmark is the Round Tower. We decided to go up, it was worth it.
ABOVE & BELOW: The stepless path inside the round tower.
ABOVE: They really do like their bikes in Copenhagen!
ABOVE: On our way back to our hotel we came across this amazing poster shop. Posters by everyone and about anything. I would love to be able to buy a heap and send take them home but it is a bit early in the trip for that!
ABOVE & BELOW: Every now and then in ones life they are moments of sychronicity. The poster above asks a simple question, "is it possible to have a love affair that lasts forever?" BELOW: minutes later we came across an art gallery that was closed but that was dedicated to the Japanese art form of Kintsugi. When an item such as a bowl is broken it is lovingly repaired and after it is repaired it is now unique. When our hearts are broken we are never the same, but we go on and those hurts make us who we are. Patti Smith was once asked about this idea that "time heals all wounds" to which she replied that she disagreed, she said, "I don't think time heals all wounds, some wounds stay with us forever, but we learn to live with them, they become a part of us" Paul Simon wrote in a song "If I'd never loved I would never have cried"
The broken and repaired bowl is unique, and beautiful.
Day 3 Copenhagen to Skanderborg
ABOVE & BELOW: Before we start today there were two photos I forgot to include yesterday. Down by the docks at Copenhagen there are blocks and blocks of these little cottages that were the houses of seamen In 1944 they were heritage listed. They have been preserved in traditional colours and now provide housing for anyone. Their correct Danish name is Nyboder which translates to "the new small houses" the term dates from 1639. They are still owned by the Department of Defence.
Today we checked out of our hotel in Copenhagen and made our way to the station to catch a train, first to Odense and then our ultimate destination, Skanderborg. Odense was chosen as a stop over as that is where the Danish national railway museum is and also where the Hans Christian Anderson museum is.
ABOVE: This is the train we caught from Copenhagen to Odense, shown here at Odense where the service terminated. I've seen a lot of trains in my time but this has to be one of the ugliest. It has a face only a mother could love!
I took many photos at the museum but I'll only bore you non train people with a few. ABOVE: A very early double deck carriage. 1st class was the bottom, peasant class was on the top.
ABOVE: Whenever you think you're having a bad hair day, just take a look at this picture! The museum made really good use of manequins.
ABOVE: On my first visit to Denmark in 1983 my train had to be put on a ship half way across the country as Denmark is actually a group of islands. ABOVE: This model shows the general idea of how the tracks on the land connect to the ship. In the late 1980's Denmark built a tunnel and bridge to link the two islands and we travelled over that today. BELOW, a model of a cross section of the new tunnel.
ABOVE: A 1946 poster
ABOVE: After visiting the train museum I went for a bit of a stroll around Odense and came upon this park bench. Now I know the Nordic people are tall, but this is ridiculous!
ABOVE: Back in Woodend, one of our amazing neighbours, Kristine is Danish. Her mum Marianne, visits often and we have gotten to know her. When she found out we were visiting Denmark she invited us to stay at her house in Skanderborg. Marianne met us at the station and when we got to her house she had this lovely afternoon tea for us. We then went for a drive around Skanderborg and came across this amazing farmhouse BELOW.
ABOVE: Kris and I then went for a walk around Skanderborg, it's getting spooky here!
ABOVE: Skanderborg is home to a much loved Danish childrens book author, Ole Lun Kirkegaard. The city has erected things out of his books around the town and this is a crazy little house on main street.
We then went home and Marianne cooked us a very traditional Danish meal of very yummy Danish meatballs with steamed vegetables. It is so good to be staying in a home instead of a hotel. Marianne and I stayed up for quite a while talking about world affairs. A transcript will be sent to the UN and the problems in Ukraine and the Middle East should be sorted out by the time we get home.
Day 4 Aarhus
We awoke at Marianne's house in Skanderborg where Marianne had prepared a traditional Danish breakfast that included incredible pastries that she had driven to the bakers to get. We then drove to Denmark's second biggest city Aarhus. There is an incredible recreation of Aarhus from ancient times to the 70's called "The Old city" Den Gamle By. They took old buildings from all around Jutland and rebuilt them in one central place. It is incredible. We spent about 4 hours there.
ABOVE: This cookbook was produced during the German occupation of Denmark, food was very scarce. You'd have to be pretty hungry to eat curried seagul!
ABOVE & BELOW: For lunch we had a traditional Danish hotdog, the sausage must be the bright red variety and it comes with tomato sauce and mustard as well as raw and fried onions and pickled cucumber. The chocolate milk is a mandatory accompaniment ! It was yummo!
ABOVE: Marianne then drove us to the King's Castle in Aarhus, in Danish, Marselisborg Slot. One of the reasons that Danish royalty is so loved is that they are very accesible and open their castle grounds to everyone when they are not in residence.
The castle was undergoing extensive renovation but this part was the only part not covered in scaffolds.
ABOVE: In the gardens were these very old apple trees and it is ok to pick and apple and eat it. So I can say I've eaten a royal apple! BELOW.
ABOVE: A pond in the royal gardens.
ABOVE: We then went into downtown Aarhus and went to the bar where our next door neighbour used to work at for a few beers. It is called the "Tir na Nog" which in Irish mythology means the Land of Eternal Youth. If you saw the movie Titanic you may recall the scene where the mother was reading a bedtime story to her two children as the ship went down, they were in 3rd class and would not have survived. The story she was reading to her doomed children was the story of Tir na Nog, the children were about to die but they would live in eternal youth being taken at such a young age.
ABOVE: Our last stop was dinner at Marianne's son and daughter in laws home. It was a traditional Danish dish called Tarteletter Ned Hons I Asparges which translates to vol au vonts with chicken in asparagrus sauce. It was amazing. They were so welcoming, beautiful people. Andre plays in a Death Metal band and was about to go on tour to Oslo. It was so funny, he was running through a long list of all the different types of Metal bands "Death metal, Techno metal, Slash metal, Punk metal, and on the list went, his wife then recalled the scene out Of Forest Gump where Bubba was going through all of the ways you can prepare shrimp. After Andre had listed about 20 different types of metal I said "And that's about it" We all had a good laugh. If you want to listen to his music just search Dread Witch on any music platform.
Tomororrow we leave Denmark and I will be sad. Marianne's hospitality has been amazing, she is such a special person. Denmark is not blessed with spectacular scenary but it is such a calm, warm place with an amazing history. If every country in the world was similiar to Denmark the world would be perfect!
Day 5 Skanderborg - Hamburg
We awoke In Skanderborg at Marianne's home. She put on another brilliant breakfast and then we went for a walk around Skanderborg.
ABOVE: This is a view from inside the Cultural centre. It has a library, art gallery, meeting rooms and a cafe, it was the result of much work by volunteers.
ABOVE: New apartments and shops on the lake near the cultural centre. There were piles of golden leaves under the trees and I thought of that song Forever now from Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds. "Through autumn's golden gown we used to kick our way, you always loved that time of year. Those fallen leaves lie undisturbed now"
ABOVE: Finally, I found someone with less teeth than me!
ABOVE: By the lake we came across this playground that contained things from the books by Skandeborg's famous author Ole Lun Kirkegaard. Replicas of things he'd drawn in his books.
ABOVE: At Skanderborg station
The rest of the day we travelled from Skanderborg (Denmark) to Hamburg (Germany)
ABOVE: Our train from the border station, Flensburg to Hamburg just after we arrived at Hamburg. It was peak hour and it was impossible to get a photo without people in it.
ABOVE: An overview of the platforms at Hamburg.
ABOVE: A commuter train arrives Hamburg druring peak hour. As busy as Flinders street, different country, train drivers doing the same job.
The main reason we stopped at Hamburg is because I wanted to see the world's largest model railway. It was amazing, it is spread over 2 floors and is probably the main tourist attraction in town. At 7:30pm it was still so busy with parents and their kids.
ABOVE: There were so many amazing scenes, this one shows a rock concert in a park!
ABOVE: This scene shows an amusement park at night, all of the rides worked, it was amazing.
ABOVE: Just near our hotel was the "Baumann's Bier Bar" so we had to have a beer there!
Day 6. Hamburg (Germany) to Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
I normally do this blog at night just before I go to bed, it is now Friday morning here. We did 25,000 steps yesterday so the blog didn't get finished last night
Anyone who knows me well knows that I work permanent afternoon shift and that I rarely get out of bed before 10:00am. Well this morning in Hamburg I woke up at 5:00am and was ready to start the day! We went for a walk around Hamburg station (hauptbanhof) and watched these strange morning creatures getting off trains and going to work. Didn't they know that sunrise was not until 8:00am? I kept asking people "what happens at 6:00am? I've never been alive at this hour" It was quite foggy so I took this photo on the road above the station.
ABOVE: I took this photo of the main station building. It was an ok photo but I thought, hey, I'm on holiday, let's mess around with some Photoshop filters. Although I'm quite a traditionalist when it comes to photography I quite liked this rendition using the oil paint filter.
ABOVE: Our journey today involved changing trains 3 times. We got off the train in Osnabruck and spent 3 hours there, we walked around the town and had lunch. It is nothing special but was a nice ordinary town where people were just going about their business.
ABOVE: This is the train we caught from Hamburg to Osnabruck, at Osnabruck.
ABOVE: I'm not 100% positive but I think this is an old steam loco water tank at Osnabruck. Quite the water tower!
ABOVE: A house next to the main church.
ABOVE: The station entrance at Osnabruck.
ABOVE: We crossed the border in The Netherlands and shortly after our train terminated here. I'm told that the station building at Hengelo has never once won any architectural awards! From here we caught a train to Amsterdam.
ABOVE: Our train from Amersfoot to Amsterdam. These trains are very common in The Netherlands and are about as ugly as the trains in Denmark. I think it would be quite strange driving a train from so high up.
ABOVE: A cute sticker at Amersfoot.
ABOVE: The main station at Amsterdam. Our hotel is about 10k's from here so we caught another train there and checked in. We then got a train back to here just as the sun was setting to explore Amsterdam. After walking for a while we decided to have a beer at a Brassiere/steak house. We were setting out the front right where the main water was trying to entice customers into his establishment. Not once but twice while we were there potential customers looked at the menu and asked the waiter if they had vegetarian options! I suggested that he tell them that the cattle the steaks are made from were vegetarians. As we were laughing about vegetarians enquiring about non meat options at a steakhouse our table was bumped and over went my half full glass of beer The waiter saw the whole thing and kindly brought out another beer to replace mine. Nice waiter!
ABOVE & BELOW: Amsterdam and its canals at night. (photos by Kris)
Day 7, Amsterdam
We awoke in Amsterdam at the hotel that was a long way from Amsterdan and oh, did I tell you, it had a strict non smoking/non drinking policy. Maybe the Scientologist's owned it??? We got back to Amsterdam Centraal and got a tram to the Vincent Van Gogh museum.
ABOVE: Whilst waiting for our train To Amsterdam Centraal I snapped this train.
ABOVE: The museum from the outside is a bit industrial and drab, but oh the treasures inside!
ABOVE: Just outside the museum who should I run into but old mate Vincent, enjoying a hotdog and a Coke. He told me his life as an artist was tough but he's been getting heaps of sponsorships lately so life is good!
ABOVER: Possibly his most famous self portrait. I've been a Van Gogh lover since I can remember. He painted himself a lot because models cost money and Vincent never had much money. He painted this after his stay in Paris where he first learned of the techniques of the impressionists. Before, his paintings had a somewhat drap, traditional look, after being exposed to the impressionists his brushstrokes were much more pronounced and his pallette much brighter. To be so close to his work was a surreal experience. We've all seen this work many times but to be up close was very special.
ABOVE: Nothing can prepare you to see Sunflowers in the flesh. This iconic painting is a riot of yellow that he painted whilst living in Arles awaiting the arrival of Gauguin. Vincent loved yellow and he painted the whole house yellow and then painted this for Gauguin. There are so many shades of yellow in this painting, he was so excited about the arrival of his friend.
ABOVE: This painting is one of my favourites and it has a story. Vincent had been admitted to a asylum but was still painting profusely. He got a telegram from his beloved brother Theo that Theo and his wife had a baby and they named it Vincent. Vincent was so happy he painted these blossoms that of course signify new life. There is no real focal point in this painting, but everywhere you look there are blossoms, everywhere, new life! He had been so sad but the news of his brothers baby made him so happy!
ABOVE: Crows in the wheat field was long thought to be his last ever painting, it's not, but it was painted in the last week of his short life. The swirling wheat, the thick brushstrokes, Vincent's love of the land are all here. It is easy to read too much into the crows flying away. He would commit suicide less than a week after painting this.
After the Van Gogh museum I needed a sit down and a good drink. Nothing prepares you to see his masterpieces that you've grown up with up close, knowing you are inches from Vincent's work.
BELOW: The view from the sidewalk cafe where we had dinner. Kris must have looked like a local as a bloke asked her where was the nearest smoke shop!
After our meal we found a coffee shop that sold a non indigenous plant to be enjoyed at ones leisure. I had the full Amsterdam experience.
Day 8 Amsterdam (The Netherlands) to Wuppertal (Germany)
We awoke for the second time in Amsterdam after my interesting night. We checked out and headed back to Amsterdam to visit the Riksmuseum which is the biggie for Dutch painters. After Van Gogh it was a bit of an anti climax which isn't fair because it contains some of Rembrant's best.
ABOVE: Vermeer's most famous painting "The Milkmaid" circa 1658. Most painting at this time was of aristocrats, so this painting, of a servant doing her everyday job was a departure. It is a beautiful, quiet painting. Not heroic like some many of the paintings at this time. The lighting is sublime. A simple job being made a thing of beauty.
BELOW: The library at the Riksmuseum
ABOVE: After visiting the Riksmuseum we got a tram back to Amsterdam Centraal and got a very packed ICE train to Dusseldorf then changed to a train to Wuppertal.
ABOVE: On the packed train from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf, a collection of passengers hands, hanging on.
ABOVE: A goods train at Dusseldorf.
ABOVE & BELOW: Most railways put the wheels below the train but in Wuppertal they do things a bit different, the wheels are on the roof and the train hangs down above the river.
BELOW: Here is our view from our hotel window!
Day 9, Wuppertal - Bamberg
To start with, a few pics that we'd been meaning to put up. At the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum entrance they had a life size model of the tallest man who ever lived! The photo on the right was taken just to show how enormous this painting is at the Riklmuseum.
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BELOW: The river Wupper flowing from under the suspended railway station taken last night just before I went to bed.
ABOVE: Our train arriving Wuppertal that took us to Koln (Cologne), it was a bit foggy and drizzly, it won't be long before I'll have to buy a coat.
ABOVE & BELOW: A few trains whilst changing trains at Koln. Koln is where the famous cologne 4711 comes from.
BELOW: You’ve got to hand it to the Germans, they never walk away from their despicable past. In the station courtyard at Wurzberg we found this sculpture commemorating the Jews that were transported from this station to the concentration camps where almost all were murdered, not because they had done anything wrong but simply because they were Jewish.
I think the words "With the way we act, each of us decides what kind of society we live in" is possibly the most beautiful sentence I've ever read.
ABOVE: After several changes of trains we finally got to Bamberg. It constantly rates in the top ten cities in Germany to visit yet it is known as being relatively tourist free. We have two nights here as a bit of a rest. I hope to go out tomorrow night with the tripod and get some decent pics but this gives you an idea of the place.
After walking around for a bit we went into a traditional restaurant that had very good reviews, first thing to do was get a beer paddle and try out their beers! BELOW
BELOW: We then ordered dinner, I went for a Cordon Bleu with a potato salad (not sure how German that is but it was yummy) Kris ordered a traditional schnitzel
