By now we should have been home already, but as of this moment we're still in Iceland. A big storm hit Reykjavik airport yesterday just as our flight from Copenhagen was scheduled to leave. Initially it delayed our departure time from 1pm to around 6pm in the hope of waiting out the worst of the storm, however our connecting flight was also delayed so there was still a chance that we would get back to Seattle in time to catch the last flight to Eugene. We briefly attempted to get our flight rebooked to avoid Reykjavik completely, but the Iceland Air representative at the transfers desk stubbornly insisted that they were only obligated to get us to our original departure point. This became a common refrain.
We were at the Copenhagen airport with tons of time to burn and they got us some food vouchers for the delay so we grabbed a couple beers and personal pizzas at Gorm's after checking out all the other options. It wasn't the best pizza we'd had, but it was the most bang for our voucher bucks. Kat got out one of our card games and we took our time over lunch. I wasn't feeling especially great that morning, which could have just been from not sleeping well again due to the return of the racket-making contraption, but I was worried that I might be coming down with something so it was contributing to having a bit of a sour mood. I was fretting over everything and anxiously watching the boards for changes in our flight time or gate. We eventually moved to more comfortable seats by our departure gate once it got closer to boarding time.
Our flight wasn't canceled or delayed any longer and was off the ground by 7pm. We breathed a sigh of relief and spent the next couple hours enjoying a movie and a complementary in-flight dinner. The flight was calm all the way up until we were descending into Reykjavik, where we started to get tossed around quite a bit. Despite the high winds the landing was relatively smooth and we still had high hopes we would make our next flight. As we pulled into the terminal however it soon became evident that was not going to happen.
The captain got on the intercom around 9:20 and told us that the wind gusts were too strong right then to be able to pull a ramp up to the plane and we would be sitting there for awhile until it calmed down. The winds were no joke, more than 50mph, and the entire plane was being rocked back and forth by them. We sat and watched the minutes tick by until around 9:45 when our next flight was due to leave and then we got the email updates that our flight to Seattle had just been canceled. There was no way around it; we were spending the night in Iceland and we were going to miss our last flight to Eugene. That was bad enough, but we continued to sit there in the plane, being gently rocked all the while, waiting for the winds to die down. Finally after about an hour the were able to get some stairs up to the plane and we all disembarked briefly out into the driving wind and rain to walk the few steps to an awaiting shuttle bus that drove us the rest of the way to the terminal.
As we got into the terminal we received another update via email that we had been rebooked onto flights Saturday evening to Denver and then on to Seattle. We were confused because we were originally going direct to Seattle and the new arrival time would get us there too late to catch any flights back to Eugene. We got in line at the first help desk in order to try and straighten things out, but before too long someone from Iceland Air came along and shouted instructions to everyone who was going to Denver or Seattle to exit through the baggage area and that there would be someone at the "Meeting Point" to help us with accommodations, meal vouchers, and flight information. We obliged and headed downstairs, past baggage claim since we had all our stuff with us, through customs, and out into the airport lobby.
We followed the signs pointing to the "Meeting Point" but there didn't seem to be anyone there and all of the check-in desks appeared to be closed. I still wasn't feeling well and I began to panic a little bit at this point. Finally I spotted a single person working the counter with a small group of people lined up. We stood in line for quite some time until we could get our questions answered. In the end the attendant couldn't help us. We tried to explain that we needed to get to Seattle earlier, but the direct flight was already booked up. We also tried to see if we could change our flight out of Denver to go to Portland or Eugene directly, but she explained that she couldn't send us anywhere other than Seattle, as we had heard before.
I spotted some people talking to a guy by the exit and wandered over and it turned out he was the guy arranging hotels, but he seemed a bit flustered and disorganized and could not answer any of our questions relating to our flights or meal vouchers. He had a list of hotels and he seemed to be distributing people randomly between the shuttle buses all the while carrying on what appeared to be several different arguments with groups of people in Icelandic. I had a hard time getting his attention and all I got out of him was "get on blue bus, hotel 3, very close". We headed back out into the storm and confirmed with the blue bus driver that we were going to hotel 3, called Mar GuestHouse and it would be at least a 30 minute drive. Very close indeed.
It was past 1am by the time we pulled up to the Mar GuestHouse. A small group of us got off the bus and hunched our way through the rain to the tiny lobby. The hotel wasn't that impressive from the outside and it wasn't any more impressive once inside. In fact there was no one there at all, just a sign that said if you needed help to call a number which turned out to be not in service. Alarmed, someone shouted we should make sure the bus driver didn't drive away, but it turned out he had followed us inside and actually had instructions on how to get us our rooms. There was a bank of key boxes along one wall and he had some codes on his phone. As he punched in the numbers the boxes popped open and it became a mad dash as people began snatching keys as soon as they became available with no regard to need or precedence.
I snagged 208 and we ran upstairs to find a room with two single beds and without a private bathroom or sink. There were four shared bathrooms with showers down the hall. I could hear people downstairs complaining loudly that at least some of the 100 series rooms had private bathrooms and they began arguing over who should get them. One woman was traveling with her elderly father whom she said needed frequent trips to the bathroom at night. I never learned if she got what she wanted. It also soon became clear that there was little chance of getting breakfast or any food for that matter at the Mar Guesthouse, other than some instant coffee and coffee whitener that was sitting out. We also had no confirmation of when a shuttle would pick us up again or at all. To top it all off it turned out that the pillows and bedding were stuffed with down, which I am highly allergic to, so it made for another rough night of sleeping.
Sunrise wasn't until past 8am, but we were both awake long beforehand. We had checked all our options and had settled on trying to get back to the airport as early as possible to see if any other flight arrangements could be made. After I got showered and packed we headed downstairs to see if anyone know how to contact the shuttles. It turned out that the hotelier had arrived and was just as shocked and distressed to find everyone staying there as we were to be there. Apparently there had been a monumental screw up and none of us were supposed to be staying there and she had no way to feed us all. When we mentioned that we needed to get back to the airport a nice retired couple from Colorado said they had just called a cab and offered to give us ride in. We jumped at the chance and were very grateful. They were really very nice and the woman chatted all the way to the airport about their vacation to Rome where she fell in love the the Sistine Chapel and Paris where they visited their daughter and grandchild. She kind of reminded me of Mom. They refused to let us split the fare and were just happy to help. Travelers really can be some of the most kind and wonderful people.
At the airport we once again tried to work out a deal where we could still get back to Eugene before Sunday. Kat had done all the research and knew which flights left when and for how much and even that Iceland Air could save money by sending us directly to Eugene instead of Seattle, but the representative was having none of it: Iceland Air was only obligated to get us back to our point of origin. We pulled out all the stops by complaining about our rooms for the night, my allergies, explained how there would be no flights left to Eugene by the time we got to Seattle, and how we would probably end up missing the tight connecting flight anyway due to customs in the US. All she was able to do was get us on the slightly earlier Denver flight, which ended up bumping us back a few rows from Economy Comfort class into regular Economy, we discovered later to our chagrin.
For our food vouchers we were directed to yet another counter where the nice representative there sympathized with our plight and managed to get us access to the Saga Lounge in addition to food vouchers as compensation for our stay at the Mar GuestHouse. It seemed like they didn't do that for everyone either. We ran into the woman from our taxi ride on our way to the lounge and tried not to let on about it in case they had not received the same offer. It turned out to be a great benefit because they have plenty of things here to snack on which will cover our breakfast and lunch up until our flight. It's the fanciest airport lounge I've ever been in, with open fireplaces, freestanding stone sculptures, sleeping booths, coolers of self-serve beer and wine, and acres of comfy seats and sofas each with their own power ports. The front desk attendant mentioned that they try keep it exclusive.
As we recuperate here at the Saga Lounge we've continued exploring our travel options and have hit upon the idea of booking a cheap direct flight from Denver to Portland through Southwest Airlines and then renting a car for the rest of the journey back to Eugene which should get us back home significantly sooner than continuing on to Seattle, spending the night, and then flying back to Eugene the next day. We've already taken on significantly more travel expenses than we would have liked due to flight cancellation fees and eating in the airports so we really don't like the idea of finding a hotel and additional transportation in Seattle on top of all of it. At the end of this we hope to file a claim to recoup some of our unexpected expenses, but I have small hope for satisfaction.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Frederiksborg Castle & Fredensborg Palace, Feb 22, 2018
We were up and out the door by 8:45 Thursday morning because we had a brunch date with Rikke in the Norrebro district and I was too cheap to buy bus tickets so we needed to get walking. I relented only long enough for us to get hot chocolates along the way and then it was back on track. We just made it in time for our 9:30 appointment. I filled up on danish pancakes and scrambled eggs from the breakfast buffet and then it was time to hit the road.
Rikke was nice enough to drive us out to her home town of Hillerod where her dad and step-mother live and which also just happens to be the location of the grandest castle in all of Scandinavia, Frederiksborg Castle, and often called "Denmark's Versailles". It was only a half hour or so away from Copenhagen and to pass the time as we drove I read aloud from Rick Steves' book regarding the castle, which was entertaining and contained a few tidbits even Rikke wasn't aware of. She was pleased to hear that Rick had nice things to say about the souvenir and sweater shop across from the castle that she used to work at years ago and is still there today. As we drew nearer Rikke grew ever more nostalgic as she pointed out things to us and told stories about growing up there.
We arrived around 11am and found a pay parking lot close to the castle. I fed the meter 20 kroner to give us 2 hours inside which I thought would be more than enough time the way we fly through museums. As we approached the castle on foot I was struck by its grandeur. It was absolutely dripping with regal pomposity. I knew it was going to be difficult to try to capture its impressiveness with my little point-and-shoot Canon.
Like most things in the off-season here there wasn't any crowd to speak of so we walked right in and got our tickets. They came with what turned out to be an excellent audio guide and the tour was really very well laid out, flowing naturally from one room to the next. It quickly became apparent however that the audio guide couldn't possibly cover everything on display, neither could our guidebook, and that we'd be hard pressed to make it through in 2 hours even skipping some rooms. There was just so much on display and so much to see and all of it was oozing history. Portraits and coats of arms covered every available surface, statues and urns filled every nook and cranny, fine furnishings lined every wall and window bay. It would be hard to pick something that stood above the rest, but I think for me the intricate clockwork Copernican heliocentric model was my favorite object on display.
We could have spent much more time there but unfortunately we needed to get back to the car to feed the meter and we had other things we wanted to do before it got too late. I added an hour to the meter and we spent it wandering the sumptuous gardens. They looked beautiful with just a touch of snow and ice from the previous evening. It was still cold, but the sun was out and melting the snow in patches. Our walk took us by the small garden house next to the lake and then back around to the car.
Rikke had set up lunch for us with her parents at 2:30pm and we were there right on time. Her folks were very welcoming and sat us down for a nice refreshing drink before serving up a huge spread of homemade Danish treats for lunch including fresh made rye bread, purple cabbage, broccoli and bacon quiche, meatballs, salmon, and various meats, cheeses, fruits, and veggies. Her dad shared a couple delicious beers with us as well. Everything was tasty and I had to try everything so I was stuffed at the end. After lunch we chatted and they showed us their wall of family photos and we talked about traveling in general. They had made a trip to the United States some years back and had driven across a good chunk of it from what it sounded like.
We thanked Rikke's parents for their warm hospitality and took our leave. Rikke had one more destination for us before we could head back to Copenhagen. She took us another 15 minutes or so out to Fredensborg Palace, a royal family residence. The palace is not open to visitors but much of the extensive park and grounds surrounding the palace is open to all. We spent the next hour or so leisurely strolling the park taking in the scenery including a fine selection of statues, obelisks, and views of the placid lake Esrum.
Soon it was time to go and we drove back to town. We said goodbye to Rikke and she gave us a good recommendation for a nearby beer hall. We stopped by Mikkeller & Friends and tried their flight of 5 locally brewed beers which were all tasty. It was fun to find out that almost all the hops they use come from our Northwest. When we asked for a recommendation for dinner they pointed us to a place just down the street called Manfred's which was supposed to be vegetarian friendly but mostly known for their steak tartare.
Manferd's was amazing. It was tiny but we got in without a reservation. We sat close enough to the kitchen to feel the heat of the ovens, which I think Kat liked quite a bit since she was beginning to freeze ever since the sun went down. We ordered the Chef's Choice which was supposed to consist of 7 small plates and when we specified vegetarian they were more than willing to work with us on that. I was fascinated watching them prepare dishes and the main chef would finish each one off and then send them out. He even brought a few of our dishes to our table and explained each one. There were only supposed to be 7 different dishes, but I lost count around 10. They even added a few fish items for me. It was all so good, but we were both stuffed by the end. Kat was most impressed with the bathroom which she described as the most romantic toilet she's ever been in. From her description it sounded amazing, with comfy chairs and lit by candles in empty wine bottles on mirrored shelves. I tried to find it, but I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere because all I found was a closet-like toilet with a broken mirror and graffiti and stickers on the walls. I think it must be like one of the magic wardrobes that doesn't lead to the same place for everyone, or maybe it's more like that soup place in Reykjavik that doesn't actually exist.
On the way back to our room I decided to spoil us and take the bus. While waiting for our bus we noticed a couple with their rolling luggage trying to figure out where they were going. It turned out they were headed to the train station as well so we told them to just follow us and we made sure they got off at the right stop. It felt good to be able to help.
Kat got us all checked-in to our flights tomorrow, but we did not get an upgrade this time. We also got email alerts that there is a weather warning in Iceland at the moment, although nothing is canceled or delayed yet. Here's hoping we get home on time. It's been a great trip, but we are excited to get home now.
Update: the weather warning grew to a full blown storm and all flights into Iceland have been delayed. Our flight has been delayed for 6 hours which just so happens to eat up all our layover time. If everything works out we'll still make it to our final flight from Seattle to Eugene. Here's hoping.
Rikke was nice enough to drive us out to her home town of Hillerod where her dad and step-mother live and which also just happens to be the location of the grandest castle in all of Scandinavia, Frederiksborg Castle, and often called "Denmark's Versailles". It was only a half hour or so away from Copenhagen and to pass the time as we drove I read aloud from Rick Steves' book regarding the castle, which was entertaining and contained a few tidbits even Rikke wasn't aware of. She was pleased to hear that Rick had nice things to say about the souvenir and sweater shop across from the castle that she used to work at years ago and is still there today. As we drew nearer Rikke grew ever more nostalgic as she pointed out things to us and told stories about growing up there.
We arrived around 11am and found a pay parking lot close to the castle. I fed the meter 20 kroner to give us 2 hours inside which I thought would be more than enough time the way we fly through museums. As we approached the castle on foot I was struck by its grandeur. It was absolutely dripping with regal pomposity. I knew it was going to be difficult to try to capture its impressiveness with my little point-and-shoot Canon.
Like most things in the off-season here there wasn't any crowd to speak of so we walked right in and got our tickets. They came with what turned out to be an excellent audio guide and the tour was really very well laid out, flowing naturally from one room to the next. It quickly became apparent however that the audio guide couldn't possibly cover everything on display, neither could our guidebook, and that we'd be hard pressed to make it through in 2 hours even skipping some rooms. There was just so much on display and so much to see and all of it was oozing history. Portraits and coats of arms covered every available surface, statues and urns filled every nook and cranny, fine furnishings lined every wall and window bay. It would be hard to pick something that stood above the rest, but I think for me the intricate clockwork Copernican heliocentric model was my favorite object on display.
We could have spent much more time there but unfortunately we needed to get back to the car to feed the meter and we had other things we wanted to do before it got too late. I added an hour to the meter and we spent it wandering the sumptuous gardens. They looked beautiful with just a touch of snow and ice from the previous evening. It was still cold, but the sun was out and melting the snow in patches. Our walk took us by the small garden house next to the lake and then back around to the car.
Rikke had set up lunch for us with her parents at 2:30pm and we were there right on time. Her folks were very welcoming and sat us down for a nice refreshing drink before serving up a huge spread of homemade Danish treats for lunch including fresh made rye bread, purple cabbage, broccoli and bacon quiche, meatballs, salmon, and various meats, cheeses, fruits, and veggies. Her dad shared a couple delicious beers with us as well. Everything was tasty and I had to try everything so I was stuffed at the end. After lunch we chatted and they showed us their wall of family photos and we talked about traveling in general. They had made a trip to the United States some years back and had driven across a good chunk of it from what it sounded like.
We thanked Rikke's parents for their warm hospitality and took our leave. Rikke had one more destination for us before we could head back to Copenhagen. She took us another 15 minutes or so out to Fredensborg Palace, a royal family residence. The palace is not open to visitors but much of the extensive park and grounds surrounding the palace is open to all. We spent the next hour or so leisurely strolling the park taking in the scenery including a fine selection of statues, obelisks, and views of the placid lake Esrum.
Soon it was time to go and we drove back to town. We said goodbye to Rikke and she gave us a good recommendation for a nearby beer hall. We stopped by Mikkeller & Friends and tried their flight of 5 locally brewed beers which were all tasty. It was fun to find out that almost all the hops they use come from our Northwest. When we asked for a recommendation for dinner they pointed us to a place just down the street called Manfred's which was supposed to be vegetarian friendly but mostly known for their steak tartare.
Manferd's was amazing. It was tiny but we got in without a reservation. We sat close enough to the kitchen to feel the heat of the ovens, which I think Kat liked quite a bit since she was beginning to freeze ever since the sun went down. We ordered the Chef's Choice which was supposed to consist of 7 small plates and when we specified vegetarian they were more than willing to work with us on that. I was fascinated watching them prepare dishes and the main chef would finish each one off and then send them out. He even brought a few of our dishes to our table and explained each one. There were only supposed to be 7 different dishes, but I lost count around 10. They even added a few fish items for me. It was all so good, but we were both stuffed by the end. Kat was most impressed with the bathroom which she described as the most romantic toilet she's ever been in. From her description it sounded amazing, with comfy chairs and lit by candles in empty wine bottles on mirrored shelves. I tried to find it, but I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere because all I found was a closet-like toilet with a broken mirror and graffiti and stickers on the walls. I think it must be like one of the magic wardrobes that doesn't lead to the same place for everyone, or maybe it's more like that soup place in Reykjavik that doesn't actually exist.
On the way back to our room I decided to spoil us and take the bus. While waiting for our bus we noticed a couple with their rolling luggage trying to figure out where they were going. It turned out they were headed to the train station as well so we told them to just follow us and we made sure they got off at the right stop. It felt good to be able to help.
Kat got us all checked-in to our flights tomorrow, but we did not get an upgrade this time. We also got email alerts that there is a weather warning in Iceland at the moment, although nothing is canceled or delayed yet. Here's hoping we get home on time. It's been a great trip, but we are excited to get home now.
Update: the weather warning grew to a full blown storm and all flights into Iceland have been delayed. Our flight has been delayed for 6 hours which just so happens to eat up all our layover time. If everything works out we'll still make it to our final flight from Seattle to Eugene. Here's hoping.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Christiania, Tivoli Gardens, and Dinner with Rikke, Feb 21 2018
In the wee hours Wednesday morning we awoke to the sounds of a rumbling and banging that would get steadily louder until the windows were rattling and then it would gradually fade away only to return again and repeat the cycle. In frustration I eventually got up and peeked out the window and caught sight of a man pulling a wheeled garbage can, which from the sound of it must have been half-filled with recyclable bottles, across the uneven cobblestones of the courtyard below. He must have been circling our place for a good 15 minutes without hardly ever stopping, just circling and circling with his bedeviled racket-making contraption. After what seemed an eternity he disappeared, off to plague some other hotel I imagine, and we were able to catch a few more precious moments of sleep.
When we finally got up for good we decided to snag another pastry and warm drink from the train station before heading across the water to the autonomous anarchist community of Christiania. It's basically a community of hippies, artists, and squatters who took over an old abandoned buildings and never left. They've added ramshackle structures over time and the whole place has a weird cheerful post-apocalyptic feel to it with its huge murals and crazy found object artworks. From what we've read they actually have quite a few functioning and popular eateries, but it was very quiet and nothing really looked open while we were there. That was fine with us though, I'm not sure I would have wanted to eat there anyway.
Our other big plan for the day was to spend some time at the amusement park: Tivoli Gardens. It had been taunting us ever since we had arrived because we had to walk right by it every day on our way to see other things. It opened at 11am and we were there shortly afterward. We got our entry tickets and added on the unlimited rides option. Although parts of the park were closed due to construction we were still pretty sure we'd get our money's worth. The park is small, but crammed with cheesy and whimsical goodness. We explored every nook and cranny, crawling through igloos intended for children, capering through the funhouse intended for children, chasing each other around ice-cube and mirror mazes intended for children, and generally having a great time together. We rode anything and everything that was being operated. Our favorite ride by far was the little wooden rollercoaster that's like a miniature Matterhorn at Disneyland, but instead of a scary yeti you get a glimpse of a friendly-looking polar bear family as you race by. We rode it enough times to be certain that the back row was the absolute best experience.
By mid-afternoon we'd pretty much done everything we could at Tivoli Gardens and we were both getting hungry. We didn't want to pay amusement-park prices for amusement-park quality food so we left and made sure to get our reentry stamps so we could come back later that night when it would be lit up. For lunch we headed back down to the meat packing district hoping to eat at BioMio if it was open, which it hadn't been on our fist night. Luck was with us and we had a great meal there.
Kat was ready for a nap back at the room and we had made plans to meet up with Rikke at her place for dinner around 5:30pm so I had a couple of hours to myself before we needed to catch our bus. I grabbed my camera and a map and headed out at top site-seeing speed. I took as direct a route as I could, pausing only briefly to admire the Round Tower, to Rosenborg Castle and the King's Gardens in the hopes of getting in to see the crown jewels, but alas it had closed by 3 that afternoon. I spent the time instead in the gardens photographing the wide array of statuary and snapping a few shots of the castle and grounds as well.
Next on my list was hitting the National Museum to see their Viking collection. I was racing the clock now because I thought it closed at 4pm. I got there at 3:30 and learned they'd be open until 5, but I'd need to be on a bus by then in any case. I stashed my backpack and then blasted through the exhibits on the ground floor. I could have spent hours there and never even get to the upper floors, but I was glad to see what I could.
By 4:15 I was back at the hotel and picking up Kat so we could get our bus tickets and be on our way to dinner with Rikke. At the train station we wondered at the sheer number of 7-Elevens we had seen all over Denmark. The amazing thing was that they seemed to actually be stocked with decent quality food items, stuff you'd actually consider buying and eating. It was weird, our worst chain of convenience stores is actually an upmarket chain of grocery stores in Denmark. Strange.
We found our bus and followed Rikke's directions to her flat in the Northern part of Copenhagen. She was excited to see us and introduce us to her two new cats. The cats were very sweet and friendly. We had some tea and then helped Rikke prepare dinner before sitting down to eat. It was a short but very nice visit and we will get a chance to see her tomorrow as well since she's taking us on a car ride to see some castles and have lunch with her parents.
Our return bus trip to the train station got us back in time to reenter Tivoli Gardens and see it all lit up for the night. It began to lightly snow on us while we were there, which was kind of perfect. We rode the rollercoaster one more time and then watched a little fountain and laser light show before they closed the park. All in all it was a fun-filled day.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Odense, Roskilde, and Copenhagen at Night, Feb 20, 2018
We decided to spend Tuesday hitting some sites outside of Copenhagen including Odense on the island of Fyn (or Funen) about an hour and a half away and Roskilde on the way back. Our breakfast consisted of pastries and warm drinks from one of the many bakeries inside the train station. We got our tickets, found our train, and were on our way by 10am.
Odense is known as the birthplace and childhood home of local hero Hans Christian Andersen. It's also quite a charming town in spite of a large chunk of it being currently torn up. Apparently they recently discovered Viking age ruins and artifacts buried in the town center and are in the process of excavating it. Some of those artifacts were on display in the Montergarden Urban History Museum which was our first stop. It was actually quite engrossing with displays that mixed artifacts from all time periods so you could see modern tools right next to their ancient counterparts. Some of the interactive displays were fun to play with as well. We spent way too much time there and had to hustle through the rest of our visit to Odense.
We wandered through the little medievalesque streets and courtyards and found the replica corner cottage which claims to be the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. Kat was amused that everything in the tiny and cozy cottage was scaled down to her size while I had to duck through every doorway. It had a few informational displays spread throughout a handful of rooms and I thought that was the extent of it, but Kat insisted there was an actual Hans Christian Andersen museum we could get into as well. We went in search of it, skirting construction zones along the way, and found a series of closed and empty buildings where it apparently used to be housed at the time our guidebook was written. It took us a little while longer to find the museum's new home and had to circumnavigate the construction zone once again.
We were still in a bit of a hurry to get on to the next stop of the day so we breezed through the H. C. museum, although it was interesting in its own right. The best part was probably the virtual reality headset that let you experience and explore H. C.'s writing room. We then hustled back to the train station and tried to grab a couple pita sandwiches to go, but ended up missing the next train because the sandwich guy took too long. The next train was in half an hour so we waited it out in one of the ubiquitous Joe & the Juice bars that seem to be everywhere we go. Even though we've seen several in every city in Iceland, Netherlands, and Denmark we hadn't gone in one yet. It turned out to be pretty good juice.
Our train left the station by 2:50pm and our next stop was Roskilde an hour away on the way back to Copenhagen. We were concerned because we had learned that one of the two major sites in Roskilde, the cathedral, would be closed by the time we got there and the other one. the Viking ship building museum, would close soon after we arrived. When we got there we hoofed it double-time down the pedestrian mall, past the closed cathedral which we wouldn't get inside this time around, and all the way to the inlet bay which housed the ship building museum and still had 30 minutes to spare. We got our tickets and quickly took in the exhibits.
It was really cool and worth the trouble getting there. They had 6 partially completed reconstructions of ships that had been intentionally scuttled in the inlet as a defensive measure a long time ago. They also had a really neat replica you could climb in and play around on surrounded by animated projections of a roiling moonlit sea all around you complete with sound effects and lightning flashes. There were even costume pieces hanging on hooks nearby if you wanted to go for the full effect. In the basement they had even more cool stuff about how they found and recovered parts of the wreckage complete with a wraparound screen with underwater footage of scuba divers in action. Too bad we only had 5 minutes left to look around by that time, but all-in-all it was a worthwhile visit.
We set a leisurely pace on our walk back and spent some time checking out the cathedral from all sides and then found a place along the shopping boulevard for some warm caffeinated drinks to keep us going a bit longer. We decided to head back to Copenhagen for dinner and grabbed the next train out of town and we were back by 6:30pm.
I convinced Kat to walk all the way out to the Nyhavn district for dinner, because I wanted to see it and all the sites along the way lit up at night. Kat bundled up in all her coats with a scarf, hat, and hood up to stay warm long enough to make it to dinner. We stopped at a place simply known as Holberg no. 19, which turned out to have great menu with lots of tempting choices. Kat got a veggie quesadilla and I had an excellent tapas spread with olives, nuts, cheeses, meats, salad, and toasted bread. We washed it all down with a couple large beers and we were both delightfully satiated. The cafe staff were very friendly and helpful too, even recommending a few other dinner options that we might enjoy on our remaining nights.
After dinner we took some shortcuts along some streets we hadn't explored yet back to our hotel. At the room we made some plans for the next day and then turned in.
Odense is known as the birthplace and childhood home of local hero Hans Christian Andersen. It's also quite a charming town in spite of a large chunk of it being currently torn up. Apparently they recently discovered Viking age ruins and artifacts buried in the town center and are in the process of excavating it. Some of those artifacts were on display in the Montergarden Urban History Museum which was our first stop. It was actually quite engrossing with displays that mixed artifacts from all time periods so you could see modern tools right next to their ancient counterparts. Some of the interactive displays were fun to play with as well. We spent way too much time there and had to hustle through the rest of our visit to Odense.
We wandered through the little medievalesque streets and courtyards and found the replica corner cottage which claims to be the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. Kat was amused that everything in the tiny and cozy cottage was scaled down to her size while I had to duck through every doorway. It had a few informational displays spread throughout a handful of rooms and I thought that was the extent of it, but Kat insisted there was an actual Hans Christian Andersen museum we could get into as well. We went in search of it, skirting construction zones along the way, and found a series of closed and empty buildings where it apparently used to be housed at the time our guidebook was written. It took us a little while longer to find the museum's new home and had to circumnavigate the construction zone once again.
We were still in a bit of a hurry to get on to the next stop of the day so we breezed through the H. C. museum, although it was interesting in its own right. The best part was probably the virtual reality headset that let you experience and explore H. C.'s writing room. We then hustled back to the train station and tried to grab a couple pita sandwiches to go, but ended up missing the next train because the sandwich guy took too long. The next train was in half an hour so we waited it out in one of the ubiquitous Joe & the Juice bars that seem to be everywhere we go. Even though we've seen several in every city in Iceland, Netherlands, and Denmark we hadn't gone in one yet. It turned out to be pretty good juice.
Our train left the station by 2:50pm and our next stop was Roskilde an hour away on the way back to Copenhagen. We were concerned because we had learned that one of the two major sites in Roskilde, the cathedral, would be closed by the time we got there and the other one. the Viking ship building museum, would close soon after we arrived. When we got there we hoofed it double-time down the pedestrian mall, past the closed cathedral which we wouldn't get inside this time around, and all the way to the inlet bay which housed the ship building museum and still had 30 minutes to spare. We got our tickets and quickly took in the exhibits.
It was really cool and worth the trouble getting there. They had 6 partially completed reconstructions of ships that had been intentionally scuttled in the inlet as a defensive measure a long time ago. They also had a really neat replica you could climb in and play around on surrounded by animated projections of a roiling moonlit sea all around you complete with sound effects and lightning flashes. There were even costume pieces hanging on hooks nearby if you wanted to go for the full effect. In the basement they had even more cool stuff about how they found and recovered parts of the wreckage complete with a wraparound screen with underwater footage of scuba divers in action. Too bad we only had 5 minutes left to look around by that time, but all-in-all it was a worthwhile visit.
We set a leisurely pace on our walk back and spent some time checking out the cathedral from all sides and then found a place along the shopping boulevard for some warm caffeinated drinks to keep us going a bit longer. We decided to head back to Copenhagen for dinner and grabbed the next train out of town and we were back by 6:30pm.
I convinced Kat to walk all the way out to the Nyhavn district for dinner, because I wanted to see it and all the sites along the way lit up at night. Kat bundled up in all her coats with a scarf, hat, and hood up to stay warm long enough to make it to dinner. We stopped at a place simply known as Holberg no. 19, which turned out to have great menu with lots of tempting choices. Kat got a veggie quesadilla and I had an excellent tapas spread with olives, nuts, cheeses, meats, salad, and toasted bread. We washed it all down with a couple large beers and we were both delightfully satiated. The cafe staff were very friendly and helpful too, even recommending a few other dinner options that we might enjoy on our remaining nights.
After dinner we took some shortcuts along some streets we hadn't explored yet back to our hotel. At the room we made some plans for the next day and then turned in.
Monday, February 19, 2018
Copenhagen walking tour, Feb 19 2018
I let Kat sleep in a bit Monday morning while I showered and did some laundry. We didn't have anything specific planned for our first day in Copenhagen other than the city walk tour in our guidebook. My phone still wasn't connecting to the networks here so I was going to have to rely on my paper maps to navigate.
Once we were both up and ready to go we grabbed a quick pastry and a warm drink and a nearby bakery and then took a spin tour of Radhuspladsen which included a grand city hall and a statue of Hans Christian Andersen looking at the side entrance to Tivoli Gardens. From there we followed the Stroget, a grand pedestrian boulevard, lined by eateries and shopping centers. I was in dire need a few toiletries I had run out of during the trip so we stopped at the Flying Tiger, a 20 kronar store. I was only able to find some deodorant wipes and a few of those awful dental floss pick things. Kat assured me I could use her deodorant if the wipes turned out to be insufficient.
We wandered off the main Stroget for a little while and toured the old university district. I find it interesting that in many of these cities the old church districts inevitably become red light districts, industrial districts become filled with trendy restaurants, and at least in Copenhagen the old brothel district became the university district.
As we strolled through the grounds at Sankt Peders Church we were approached by a nice lady that wanted to share the history of the place with us. It seems that the locals are really very proud of their city. Next we checked out the neoclassical Cathedral of Our Lady, which seemed a bit drab on the exterior but was very impressive on the inside. It really did feel like an ancient temple with its high arched and coffered ceiling, thick columns, and marble statues.
At the twin squares of Gammeltorv and Nytorv we stopped for a beer and a shared snack at a corner cafe. We ordered a smorrebrod to share, an open faced sandwich served on toast. It wasn't our favorite meal so far. The topping was a kind of chicken salad, but made with far too much mayo.
The guidebook tour took us past the Christiansborg Palace Chapel just as TV crews were documenting a long line of mourners filling into the chapel to pay their respects to the recently deceased Prince Consort Henrik. It seemed that those in line were VIPs and the crowds were just observing although all were dressed in dark colors of mourning. We passed by as inconspicuously as we could in our brightly colored touring gear.
Our next stop was the sliding bridge, also known as the kissing bridge because of the way the two ends of the bridge come apart to let ships through and then come together and kiss when they pass. We headed out to the middle of the bridge for a quick kissing selfie and then continued on to Nyhavn.
Nyhavn, or New Harbor, was a colorful waterfront with old wooden ships moored along it and lined by cafes and sausage wagons. I was still hungry so I stopped at one for a quick polse, the local sausage, with the works. Then we stopped at Hviids Vinstue, a cozy basement bar, for a couple of their legendary hot spiced wine or glogg which was delicious and warmed us right up. Kat needed something to eat with vegetables in it so we found a small grocery store that had pre-made falafel wraps for her, and I got some much needed toothpaste. As we left Kat realized she'd misplaced her sunglasses somewhere and went back in to check. Luckily someone had found them and had taken them to the clerk so she ended up getting them back. People are very helpful here.
We wandered the waterfront past the Royal Danish Playhouse and then walked through an interesting art installation entitled "The Wave", by Vertigo. Eventually we ended up at the Amalienborg gardens and palace where Queen Margrethe II lives. It was a short walk from there to check out the domed Marble Church.
The day had gotten more overcast and colder but we pressed onward to Kastellet Park and the Gefion Fountain. The fountain was impressive, but would have been more so if the water had been flowing. We proceeded along the old ramparts all the way out to the Little Mermaid statue. She is quite small and easy to miss if you don't know to look for her. In fact another touring couple on bikes stopped and asked us directions to the statue before we had found it ourselves. The statue reminded me quite a bit of the girl in a wetsuit in Vancouver, sitting on a rock out in the water.
It was late afternoon at this point and we were both getting tired and footsore. Kat was beginning to freeze so we started back for our room. We took some shortcuts and discovered a little playground equipped with hammocks of various types. Kat eagerly tried them all out.
We were back at the room by 5pm and we took a much needed break. After fiddling with my phone for a bit it started behaving properly again. We decided to get some takeaway from the Thai restaurant from across the street for dinner and we ate it in the room while watching some terribly acted true crime TV. It was glorious.
Once we were both up and ready to go we grabbed a quick pastry and a warm drink and a nearby bakery and then took a spin tour of Radhuspladsen which included a grand city hall and a statue of Hans Christian Andersen looking at the side entrance to Tivoli Gardens. From there we followed the Stroget, a grand pedestrian boulevard, lined by eateries and shopping centers. I was in dire need a few toiletries I had run out of during the trip so we stopped at the Flying Tiger, a 20 kronar store. I was only able to find some deodorant wipes and a few of those awful dental floss pick things. Kat assured me I could use her deodorant if the wipes turned out to be insufficient.
We wandered off the main Stroget for a little while and toured the old university district. I find it interesting that in many of these cities the old church districts inevitably become red light districts, industrial districts become filled with trendy restaurants, and at least in Copenhagen the old brothel district became the university district.
As we strolled through the grounds at Sankt Peders Church we were approached by a nice lady that wanted to share the history of the place with us. It seems that the locals are really very proud of their city. Next we checked out the neoclassical Cathedral of Our Lady, which seemed a bit drab on the exterior but was very impressive on the inside. It really did feel like an ancient temple with its high arched and coffered ceiling, thick columns, and marble statues.
At the twin squares of Gammeltorv and Nytorv we stopped for a beer and a shared snack at a corner cafe. We ordered a smorrebrod to share, an open faced sandwich served on toast. It wasn't our favorite meal so far. The topping was a kind of chicken salad, but made with far too much mayo.
The guidebook tour took us past the Christiansborg Palace Chapel just as TV crews were documenting a long line of mourners filling into the chapel to pay their respects to the recently deceased Prince Consort Henrik. It seemed that those in line were VIPs and the crowds were just observing although all were dressed in dark colors of mourning. We passed by as inconspicuously as we could in our brightly colored touring gear.
Our next stop was the sliding bridge, also known as the kissing bridge because of the way the two ends of the bridge come apart to let ships through and then come together and kiss when they pass. We headed out to the middle of the bridge for a quick kissing selfie and then continued on to Nyhavn.
Nyhavn, or New Harbor, was a colorful waterfront with old wooden ships moored along it and lined by cafes and sausage wagons. I was still hungry so I stopped at one for a quick polse, the local sausage, with the works. Then we stopped at Hviids Vinstue, a cozy basement bar, for a couple of their legendary hot spiced wine or glogg which was delicious and warmed us right up. Kat needed something to eat with vegetables in it so we found a small grocery store that had pre-made falafel wraps for her, and I got some much needed toothpaste. As we left Kat realized she'd misplaced her sunglasses somewhere and went back in to check. Luckily someone had found them and had taken them to the clerk so she ended up getting them back. People are very helpful here.
We wandered the waterfront past the Royal Danish Playhouse and then walked through an interesting art installation entitled "The Wave", by Vertigo. Eventually we ended up at the Amalienborg gardens and palace where Queen Margrethe II lives. It was a short walk from there to check out the domed Marble Church.
The day had gotten more overcast and colder but we pressed onward to Kastellet Park and the Gefion Fountain. The fountain was impressive, but would have been more so if the water had been flowing. We proceeded along the old ramparts all the way out to the Little Mermaid statue. She is quite small and easy to miss if you don't know to look for her. In fact another touring couple on bikes stopped and asked us directions to the statue before we had found it ourselves. The statue reminded me quite a bit of the girl in a wetsuit in Vancouver, sitting on a rock out in the water.
It was late afternoon at this point and we were both getting tired and footsore. Kat was beginning to freeze so we started back for our room. We took some shortcuts and discovered a little playground equipped with hammocks of various types. Kat eagerly tried them all out.
We were back at the room by 5pm and we took a much needed break. After fiddling with my phone for a bit it started behaving properly again. We decided to get some takeaway from the Thai restaurant from across the street for dinner and we ate it in the room while watching some terribly acted true crime TV. It was glorious.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Southeast Amsterdam and on to Copenhagen, Feb 18 2018
Our last day in Amsterdam started off with another pleasant breakfast served up by our host and another engaging conversation with the other guest whom we will call Agent R. We learned during our conversation that he actually works for the FBI. Kat had nailed it when she'd told me that he had struck her as maybe a government or military employee after the last time we'd talked with him. He admitted that it wasn't all action packed heroics and that he had to deal with lots of desk work and mindless bureaucracy, like flying home to DC from Frankfurt in order to take a seminar on overseas travel. It really was a fascinating and delightful experience.
After checkout we still had lots of time before our flight that evening and we didn't want to carry our big bags around all day so we headed to the train station to find some lockers. We were able to get to them once we bought our ticket to the airport which got us entry to baggage area. Once our luggage was stowed we left, but not before grabbing a hot drink. The hotchocspoons were tempting but this time we opted for good old Starbucks which was on the balcony overlooking the main station entryway.
With lots of time still to burn I looked at our map and decided we hadn't checked out the Southeast part of town yet so I pointed us in that direction. We passed by Nieuwmarkt again and continued on to the Rembrandt house. Just around the corner from that was supposed to be a flea market along Waterloopleinmarkt, but it was sadly empty on a Sunday. If only we had pressed onward on Saturday we could have visited it. There was however a store named "4 Cats" on the same block which delighted us both. It was also closed.
From there we crossed Nieuwharengracht and wandered through Wertheim Park. We took a moment to reflect at the Auschwitzmonument, a simple series of shattered mirrors facing the sky. The Southeast neighborhood is home to Amsterdam's Jewish community and has the largest synagogue. Then we looped back around and stopped at Cafe de Sluyswacht for one last beer, a cheese sandwich, and an excellent view of the canals and Montelbaanstoren, a tower which used to be part of the old city wall.
We were back at the train station by 2pm, picked up our bags, and got on our train. We were pretty sure we were on the right train this time as it started filling up quickly with tourists loaded down with roller bags. Just as the train was about to leave a family with four young kids in tow came running and shoving onto the already packed train car. They crowded around the pole we were standing by and the youngest child began unwrapping and shoveling candy into his mouth, dropping his spent wrappers and garbage onto Kat's bags all the while. What is it was children, why do they always have to be so sticky and gross?
The train arrived at Schiphol airport with plenty of time to spare until our flight. We got to our gate without issue and had a nice long wait. I spent the time reading up on Copenhagen in yet another Rick Steves guidebook. The flight was a short one, lasting just over an hour, but everyone seated around us seemed to be ill which made us very paranoid since we didn't want to catch something ourselves. The young woman next to me (we were in a three-seat-wide row) was wiping and blowing her nose constantly so I didn't want to touch anything she would pass me from the aisle when they were doing drink service, and the guy behind Kat coughed and sneezed and she said she felt it on her neck. We both went to the toilet and washed up as soon as we landed.
After disinfecting ourselves we grabbed some train tickets and took the short ride into Copenhagen's main station. We must have looked confused once we got off the train because a nice Danish woman offered us some directions almost immediately. I was surprised at the lack of security since we never had to show our tickets or pass through any turnstiles along the way. We eventually found an actual bank ATM out on the streetside where I was able to get some local currency and then we went in search of our hotel.
The weather was chillier than Amsterdam but still not as bad as Reykjavik. We noticed immediately that there were far fewer bikes as well and we didn't feel like we were constantly in danger of being run down. Despite having some trouble with my phone not connecting to the network here we found the Nebo Hotel which was nearby the train station and got checked in. The room is suitable, but I was disappointed it did not have a drying rack for our laundry.
It was getting late and we needed some dinner so we set right back out again. We got directions to our restaurant of choice, in the trendy meatpacking district, which took us through Copenhagen's red light district, which consists of one well lit street lined by some nude bars and a few sex shops, but nothing too shocking especially after having experienced Amsterdam.
Our first choice for dinner, BioMio, turned out to be uncharacteristically closed. We had made plans to visit our friend Danish friend Rikke, whom we had met at Czocha College of Wizardry a couple years back and who had come to stay with us for a few days while she was vacationing on the West coast. She recently mentioned to Kat via text that the Danish Price Consort, Henrik, had died and that we might experience some unexpected closures and schedule disruptions during our visit due to it. We figured this must just be one of those things so we headed to our second choice in the same district, Mother, which served up fancy personal pizzas. They were good, but we both agreed that La Perla in Amsterdam was better.
Rikke messaged Kat during dinner and let her know that Tivoli Gardens, the local amusement park, would actually be open this week. This was good news because we were prepared for it to be closed during the off-season. All the way back to our room from dinner Kat was bouncing with excitement.
After checkout we still had lots of time before our flight that evening and we didn't want to carry our big bags around all day so we headed to the train station to find some lockers. We were able to get to them once we bought our ticket to the airport which got us entry to baggage area. Once our luggage was stowed we left, but not before grabbing a hot drink. The hotchocspoons were tempting but this time we opted for good old Starbucks which was on the balcony overlooking the main station entryway.
With lots of time still to burn I looked at our map and decided we hadn't checked out the Southeast part of town yet so I pointed us in that direction. We passed by Nieuwmarkt again and continued on to the Rembrandt house. Just around the corner from that was supposed to be a flea market along Waterloopleinmarkt, but it was sadly empty on a Sunday. If only we had pressed onward on Saturday we could have visited it. There was however a store named "4 Cats" on the same block which delighted us both. It was also closed.
From there we crossed Nieuwharengracht and wandered through Wertheim Park. We took a moment to reflect at the Auschwitzmonument, a simple series of shattered mirrors facing the sky. The Southeast neighborhood is home to Amsterdam's Jewish community and has the largest synagogue. Then we looped back around and stopped at Cafe de Sluyswacht for one last beer, a cheese sandwich, and an excellent view of the canals and Montelbaanstoren, a tower which used to be part of the old city wall.
We were back at the train station by 2pm, picked up our bags, and got on our train. We were pretty sure we were on the right train this time as it started filling up quickly with tourists loaded down with roller bags. Just as the train was about to leave a family with four young kids in tow came running and shoving onto the already packed train car. They crowded around the pole we were standing by and the youngest child began unwrapping and shoveling candy into his mouth, dropping his spent wrappers and garbage onto Kat's bags all the while. What is it was children, why do they always have to be so sticky and gross?
The train arrived at Schiphol airport with plenty of time to spare until our flight. We got to our gate without issue and had a nice long wait. I spent the time reading up on Copenhagen in yet another Rick Steves guidebook. The flight was a short one, lasting just over an hour, but everyone seated around us seemed to be ill which made us very paranoid since we didn't want to catch something ourselves. The young woman next to me (we were in a three-seat-wide row) was wiping and blowing her nose constantly so I didn't want to touch anything she would pass me from the aisle when they were doing drink service, and the guy behind Kat coughed and sneezed and she said she felt it on her neck. We both went to the toilet and washed up as soon as we landed.
After disinfecting ourselves we grabbed some train tickets and took the short ride into Copenhagen's main station. We must have looked confused once we got off the train because a nice Danish woman offered us some directions almost immediately. I was surprised at the lack of security since we never had to show our tickets or pass through any turnstiles along the way. We eventually found an actual bank ATM out on the streetside where I was able to get some local currency and then we went in search of our hotel.
The weather was chillier than Amsterdam but still not as bad as Reykjavik. We noticed immediately that there were far fewer bikes as well and we didn't feel like we were constantly in danger of being run down. Despite having some trouble with my phone not connecting to the network here we found the Nebo Hotel which was nearby the train station and got checked in. The room is suitable, but I was disappointed it did not have a drying rack for our laundry.
It was getting late and we needed some dinner so we set right back out again. We got directions to our restaurant of choice, in the trendy meatpacking district, which took us through Copenhagen's red light district, which consists of one well lit street lined by some nude bars and a few sex shops, but nothing too shocking especially after having experienced Amsterdam.
Our first choice for dinner, BioMio, turned out to be uncharacteristically closed. We had made plans to visit our friend Danish friend Rikke, whom we had met at Czocha College of Wizardry a couple years back and who had come to stay with us for a few days while she was vacationing on the West coast. She recently mentioned to Kat via text that the Danish Price Consort, Henrik, had died and that we might experience some unexpected closures and schedule disruptions during our visit due to it. We figured this must just be one of those things so we headed to our second choice in the same district, Mother, which served up fancy personal pizzas. They were good, but we both agreed that La Perla in Amsterdam was better.
Rikke messaged Kat during dinner and let her know that Tivoli Gardens, the local amusement park, would actually be open this week. This was good news because we were prepared for it to be closed during the off-season. All the way back to our room from dinner Kat was bouncing with excitement.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Van Gogh, Saturday Markets, and Haarlem, Feb 16-17, 2018
Friday night was still young and I wanted to check out at least one fine art museum before leaving Amsterdam so I hustled Kat out of our cosy apartment and we hurried to the Southwest museum district. Given the choice between Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh I was more interested in the Van Gogh. The time was approaching 6pm and I was becoming concerned it would close before we got entry while we waited in the coat check line, but another couple in line in front of us let us know that it stayed open late on Friday and weekends so I was able to relax a bit.
We spent about an hour wandering through the multi-floored museum while I read excerpts from Rick Steves' guidebook about the exhibit. Then we grabbed dinner at a nearby pub which was packed, but we managed to steal a table just a family was preparing to leave. Afterward we took a pleasant evening stroll through the Vondelpark which led us back to Liedseplein past the Stadsschouwburg Theater. The square seemed to be hopping with a party-like vibe. We weren't much in a partying mood however so we made our way back to our room to watch some Netflix and drink hot chocolate before turning in for bed.
It was a bit cold in our attic room during the night, but only because we failed to turn on the heater properly. There were also some intermittent sirens and construction sounds that woke us up, but we other than that we had a pleasant night. We asked for breakfast to be served at 9am so we set an alarm to make sure we were up in time. Breakfast was served in the cute little dining area we had to pass through on our way to our room. When we got down stairs it was already set with four place settings and freshly squeezed orange juice. One of our hosts was there ready to take our order and ask how we took our eggs, if we wanted bacon, and whether we would like tea or coffee. There were also fresh croissants, fruits, and cheeses to snack on. It was all very nice and we felt spoiled.
During breakfast the only other resident at the B&B joined us who turned out to be an American from Philadelphia currently working in Germany and taking a short holiday. We had a very nice conversation about travel in general and we were able to even give him some tips on how to spend his limited time in Amsterdam since we had already made the most of ours. Our host joined the conversation as well and was more than happy to point us in the right direction when we asked about Saturday markets.
Our plan for the day was to find some Saturday markets and then maybe take a train trip to Haarlem. The first stop was Noordermarkt in the Jordaan where we found just what we were looking for: an open-air market selling a little bit of everything. We hoped to maybe find some fashion scarves and maybe an interesting piece of art to add to our growing collections. All we found were some cat toys and a warm stroopwafel, but we were happy with our purchases.
After taking our time we headed to the train station to take a short trip to nearby Haarlem, but not before stopping by the Chocolate Co. and getting a couple more hotchocspoons. We had no problem getting our tickets and finding our train since there were so many trains and times to choose from. The train ride was short but pleasant especially with landmarks pointed out by our guidebook along the way. We arrived at the Haarlem train station which we were frequently reminded was the oldest train station in the Netherlands. It was very stylish and I took lots of pictures because I thought Dad might enjoy it as much I did.
We started exploring Haarlem by taking a stroll through a nearby park and taking some time to appreciate the Hannie Schaft monument. Then we took a circuitous route to the main square, Grote Markt, near Grote Kerk. Our luck was with us because there was another Saturday market going on in the middle of the square. Kat stopped long enough get a free hug from a guy giving our free hugs who looked pretty sad that no one wanted any. We kept our eyes peeled for scarves and art but didn't find anything suitable.
Rick Steves suggested checking out the church so we paid the small admission and went in, if nothing else to use the bathrooms at least. Actually we quite admired the beautifully patterned wooden ceiling and the massive pipe organ. After paying our respects at the church we figured it was time to balance things out and go visit Haarlem's tiny red light district. It wasn't very busy at 1 in the afternoon however, although I did enjoy the fancy red tinted old-fashioned lanterns lining the streets.
We found yet another Saturday market going on at Botermarkt, but still no scarves or art of any interest. We were getting a bit peckish and our guidebook mentioned an enticing salad at a nearby cafe so we went to check it out. Unfortunately that wasn't on the lunch menu so we opted for a couple falafels from a market vendor instead. The falafel stand guy was nice and seemed interested when he heard we were from Oregon. It turned out he knew some people from Portland and had spent some time traveling around the United States.
While we ate our falafels we walked to the last site Haarlem had to offer us, a large wooden windmill known as Molen de Adriaan. It was a nice walk along the canal and an pretty impressive looking windmill, but we were too cheap to pay the admission just to go inside. After we had had our fill we headed back to the station and caught the next train back to Amsterdam.
We were both a bit footsore, but before I let Kat go back to the apartment I took her to one last Saturday market at Nieuwmarkt by De Waag. It was a long shot, but we still did not find any scarves or artwork to our liking. Admitting defeat we picked up a baguette to have along with our wine and cheese back at the room.
When we got back one of our hosts was in the kitchen so I asked to borrow a knife and cutting board for our room which she was more than happy to supply. What I failed to tell her was that I had come down the previous evening searching for a cheese knife and only been able to find a small butter knife in one of the cabinets in the breakfast nook. As I passed by the breakfast nook on my way up to the room I noticed our hosts had gotten out their serving wear and one small butter knife was conspicuously missing. I quickly went up stairs, made sure the knife was clean and dry, and then sneaked back downstairs and slipped it back in with the others. Crisis averted!
I prepared a plate of bread and cheeses with wine for us back in the room while we watched the Winter Olympics and rested from our busy day. When it got later I went back out only long enough to get some takeaway at a place called Wok to Walk that had made to order stir fry, while Kat curled up with a blanket on the couch and watched some Downton Abbey. We had our stir-fries and watched TV and had a nice quiet night.
We spent about an hour wandering through the multi-floored museum while I read excerpts from Rick Steves' guidebook about the exhibit. Then we grabbed dinner at a nearby pub which was packed, but we managed to steal a table just a family was preparing to leave. Afterward we took a pleasant evening stroll through the Vondelpark which led us back to Liedseplein past the Stadsschouwburg Theater. The square seemed to be hopping with a party-like vibe. We weren't much in a partying mood however so we made our way back to our room to watch some Netflix and drink hot chocolate before turning in for bed.
It was a bit cold in our attic room during the night, but only because we failed to turn on the heater properly. There were also some intermittent sirens and construction sounds that woke us up, but we other than that we had a pleasant night. We asked for breakfast to be served at 9am so we set an alarm to make sure we were up in time. Breakfast was served in the cute little dining area we had to pass through on our way to our room. When we got down stairs it was already set with four place settings and freshly squeezed orange juice. One of our hosts was there ready to take our order and ask how we took our eggs, if we wanted bacon, and whether we would like tea or coffee. There were also fresh croissants, fruits, and cheeses to snack on. It was all very nice and we felt spoiled.
During breakfast the only other resident at the B&B joined us who turned out to be an American from Philadelphia currently working in Germany and taking a short holiday. We had a very nice conversation about travel in general and we were able to even give him some tips on how to spend his limited time in Amsterdam since we had already made the most of ours. Our host joined the conversation as well and was more than happy to point us in the right direction when we asked about Saturday markets.
Our plan for the day was to find some Saturday markets and then maybe take a train trip to Haarlem. The first stop was Noordermarkt in the Jordaan where we found just what we were looking for: an open-air market selling a little bit of everything. We hoped to maybe find some fashion scarves and maybe an interesting piece of art to add to our growing collections. All we found were some cat toys and a warm stroopwafel, but we were happy with our purchases.
After taking our time we headed to the train station to take a short trip to nearby Haarlem, but not before stopping by the Chocolate Co. and getting a couple more hotchocspoons. We had no problem getting our tickets and finding our train since there were so many trains and times to choose from. The train ride was short but pleasant especially with landmarks pointed out by our guidebook along the way. We arrived at the Haarlem train station which we were frequently reminded was the oldest train station in the Netherlands. It was very stylish and I took lots of pictures because I thought Dad might enjoy it as much I did.
We started exploring Haarlem by taking a stroll through a nearby park and taking some time to appreciate the Hannie Schaft monument. Then we took a circuitous route to the main square, Grote Markt, near Grote Kerk. Our luck was with us because there was another Saturday market going on in the middle of the square. Kat stopped long enough get a free hug from a guy giving our free hugs who looked pretty sad that no one wanted any. We kept our eyes peeled for scarves and art but didn't find anything suitable.
Rick Steves suggested checking out the church so we paid the small admission and went in, if nothing else to use the bathrooms at least. Actually we quite admired the beautifully patterned wooden ceiling and the massive pipe organ. After paying our respects at the church we figured it was time to balance things out and go visit Haarlem's tiny red light district. It wasn't very busy at 1 in the afternoon however, although I did enjoy the fancy red tinted old-fashioned lanterns lining the streets.
We found yet another Saturday market going on at Botermarkt, but still no scarves or art of any interest. We were getting a bit peckish and our guidebook mentioned an enticing salad at a nearby cafe so we went to check it out. Unfortunately that wasn't on the lunch menu so we opted for a couple falafels from a market vendor instead. The falafel stand guy was nice and seemed interested when he heard we were from Oregon. It turned out he knew some people from Portland and had spent some time traveling around the United States.
While we ate our falafels we walked to the last site Haarlem had to offer us, a large wooden windmill known as Molen de Adriaan. It was a nice walk along the canal and an pretty impressive looking windmill, but we were too cheap to pay the admission just to go inside. After we had had our fill we headed back to the station and caught the next train back to Amsterdam.
We were both a bit footsore, but before I let Kat go back to the apartment I took her to one last Saturday market at Nieuwmarkt by De Waag. It was a long shot, but we still did not find any scarves or artwork to our liking. Admitting defeat we picked up a baguette to have along with our wine and cheese back at the room.
When we got back one of our hosts was in the kitchen so I asked to borrow a knife and cutting board for our room which she was more than happy to supply. What I failed to tell her was that I had come down the previous evening searching for a cheese knife and only been able to find a small butter knife in one of the cabinets in the breakfast nook. As I passed by the breakfast nook on my way up to the room I noticed our hosts had gotten out their serving wear and one small butter knife was conspicuously missing. I quickly went up stairs, made sure the knife was clean and dry, and then sneaked back downstairs and slipped it back in with the others. Crisis averted!
I prepared a plate of bread and cheeses with wine for us back in the room while we watched the Winter Olympics and rested from our busy day. When it got later I went back out only long enough to get some takeaway at a place called Wok to Walk that had made to order stir fry, while Kat curled up with a blanket on the couch and watched some Downton Abbey. We had our stir-fries and watched TV and had a nice quiet night.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Day Trips and the Jordaan, Feb 15-16 2018
The next day was forecasted to be overcast and rain, so we figured it would be a perfect day to take a day trip into Waterland along the coast and North of Amsterdam. It was a very convenient walk to Centraal station to catch a bus, but first we stopped by our new favorite hot chocolate shop where I got one with cinnamon and Kat picked Irish cream. We stopped by the information desk to straighten us out when we couldn't determine where to buy our bus tickets. He gave us vague directions to the opposite side of the station, where we eventually found the desk to buy our all day bus tickets to Edam, Volendam, and Marken.
Our first stop was in Edam, a town known for producing delicious cheeses. It was a charming place that reminded me of Cesky Krumlov with its narrow lanes and bridges connecting the main square with the rest of the town. We took in the sites it had to offer including a church with herons nesting nearby and the quaint cheese shops but unfortunately we missed the open air cheese market which typically happens on Fridays. We stopped at the Hotel de Fortuna & Restaurant for lunch where I had a ham and cheese sandwich and Kat ordered the lunch special which included a selection of small sandwiches and a mustard soup, which turned out to have little bits of salmon in it that she fished out and fed to me.
After lunch we hopped back on the bus to our next stop, Volendam, a seaside town with a touristy waterfront district. The museum was closed during our visit but we enjoyed a short stroll along the waterfront and sampled a waffle and stroopwafel while we awaited the ferry to Marken.
It was about a half hour ferry ride across the sea to the island fishing village of Marken. There wasn't much to see there, but we opted to take the long walk out to a lighthouse on a narrow strip of land. The countryside along the way was very picturesque and we passed by a huge flock of ducks or geese along the way. Unfortunately we couldn't get all the way out to the lighthouse since it was private property but we got as close as we could and I took a few pictures.
On the walk back we passed by the birds again and suddenly they decided to launch into the air. I was dumbstruck by the magical moment even if part of me was worried they would poop on my head. We completed our walk back to the Marken bus station and then took the bus back to Amsterdam Centraal Station.
I was getting tired from our full day and long walk by the time we got back to Amsterdam so we opted to head straight to dinner before turning in for the night. We chose Cafe Restaurant de Reiger in the Jordaan neighborhood, a suggestion from the Rick Steves guide. Kat had just mentioned that she was missing our cats back home so it was kismet when we arrived and there was a cat lounging in the window. We grabbed a seat nearby and the owners introduced us to their cat, Binky, who they said had been missing for the last couple weeks and had recently returned. He seemed very calm and comfortable so Kat got a chance to pet him while we waited for our dinners. We shared some onion soup and I ordered Dutch mussels and fries while Kat had some pesto rotolo with purple carrots with wine. Everything was great.
We returned to the room and turned in early that night. Unfortunately we had some noisy neighbors that night with a child that seemed to scream at random intervals which interrupted our rest. They woke us up again early in the morning as they left their room. It sounded like at least 8 people speaking Chinese at once with no concept of volume control.
By the next morning it was time to checkout from our room at the Ibis and find our B&B. Since we had our heavy packs with us I was focused on finding our room while Kat kept wanting to stop and look at things along the way. Sometimes on these trips I have to remind myself to stop and enjoy the scenery rather than being focused on the next destination. Thankfully it wasn't too long of a hike to Herengracht 21, our B&B for the next couple days.
The entrance to the place was sub-grade and I had some difficulty figuring out how to get inside since the door was locked and the buzzer wasn't labeled correctly. Our host spotted us, thankfully, and let us in. Contrasting with the Ibis hotel, Herengracht 21 was simply dripping with charm. A spiraling staircase took us up to a cute apartment with a roomy sitting room and another stairway led to a loft with a bedroom and tiny bathroom and shower hidden behind closet doors. I was pleased to see it had a heated drying rack so we could do some laundry during our stay.
We dropped off our bags, paid for the room, and then headed back out to find some dutch pancakes. Our first option turned out to be too busy so we headed around the corner to place run by some Indian immigrants, which turned out to be just as tasty. Next we backtracked to Dam Square to began another one of Rick Steves' audio tours focusing on the Jordaan neighborhood.
The tour led us back to the Jordaan, through Big Head Square, past Westerkerk, and by the very busy Anne Frank House, which still didn't have any tickets available to us. We stopped long enough for me to try a raw herring treat, smothered in onions and pickles. Kat opted for some fries instead. Soon we finished our tour and decided to stop by a grocery store to pick up a few beers, some wine, a cheese plate, and some milk for hot chocolate back at the apartment. We took a break at the room and shared a couple beers, ate some cheese, and watched some figure skating. The beers were surprisingly strong!
Our first stop was in Edam, a town known for producing delicious cheeses. It was a charming place that reminded me of Cesky Krumlov with its narrow lanes and bridges connecting the main square with the rest of the town. We took in the sites it had to offer including a church with herons nesting nearby and the quaint cheese shops but unfortunately we missed the open air cheese market which typically happens on Fridays. We stopped at the Hotel de Fortuna & Restaurant for lunch where I had a ham and cheese sandwich and Kat ordered the lunch special which included a selection of small sandwiches and a mustard soup, which turned out to have little bits of salmon in it that she fished out and fed to me.
After lunch we hopped back on the bus to our next stop, Volendam, a seaside town with a touristy waterfront district. The museum was closed during our visit but we enjoyed a short stroll along the waterfront and sampled a waffle and stroopwafel while we awaited the ferry to Marken.
It was about a half hour ferry ride across the sea to the island fishing village of Marken. There wasn't much to see there, but we opted to take the long walk out to a lighthouse on a narrow strip of land. The countryside along the way was very picturesque and we passed by a huge flock of ducks or geese along the way. Unfortunately we couldn't get all the way out to the lighthouse since it was private property but we got as close as we could and I took a few pictures.
On the walk back we passed by the birds again and suddenly they decided to launch into the air. I was dumbstruck by the magical moment even if part of me was worried they would poop on my head. We completed our walk back to the Marken bus station and then took the bus back to Amsterdam Centraal Station.
I was getting tired from our full day and long walk by the time we got back to Amsterdam so we opted to head straight to dinner before turning in for the night. We chose Cafe Restaurant de Reiger in the Jordaan neighborhood, a suggestion from the Rick Steves guide. Kat had just mentioned that she was missing our cats back home so it was kismet when we arrived and there was a cat lounging in the window. We grabbed a seat nearby and the owners introduced us to their cat, Binky, who they said had been missing for the last couple weeks and had recently returned. He seemed very calm and comfortable so Kat got a chance to pet him while we waited for our dinners. We shared some onion soup and I ordered Dutch mussels and fries while Kat had some pesto rotolo with purple carrots with wine. Everything was great.
We returned to the room and turned in early that night. Unfortunately we had some noisy neighbors that night with a child that seemed to scream at random intervals which interrupted our rest. They woke us up again early in the morning as they left their room. It sounded like at least 8 people speaking Chinese at once with no concept of volume control.
By the next morning it was time to checkout from our room at the Ibis and find our B&B. Since we had our heavy packs with us I was focused on finding our room while Kat kept wanting to stop and look at things along the way. Sometimes on these trips I have to remind myself to stop and enjoy the scenery rather than being focused on the next destination. Thankfully it wasn't too long of a hike to Herengracht 21, our B&B for the next couple days.
The entrance to the place was sub-grade and I had some difficulty figuring out how to get inside since the door was locked and the buzzer wasn't labeled correctly. Our host spotted us, thankfully, and let us in. Contrasting with the Ibis hotel, Herengracht 21 was simply dripping with charm. A spiraling staircase took us up to a cute apartment with a roomy sitting room and another stairway led to a loft with a bedroom and tiny bathroom and shower hidden behind closet doors. I was pleased to see it had a heated drying rack so we could do some laundry during our stay.
We dropped off our bags, paid for the room, and then headed back out to find some dutch pancakes. Our first option turned out to be too busy so we headed around the corner to place run by some Indian immigrants, which turned out to be just as tasty. Next we backtracked to Dam Square to began another one of Rick Steves' audio tours focusing on the Jordaan neighborhood.
The tour led us back to the Jordaan, through Big Head Square, past Westerkerk, and by the very busy Anne Frank House, which still didn't have any tickets available to us. We stopped long enough for me to try a raw herring treat, smothered in onions and pickles. Kat opted for some fries instead. Soon we finished our tour and decided to stop by a grocery store to pick up a few beers, some wine, a cheese plate, and some milk for hot chocolate back at the apartment. We took a break at the room and shared a couple beers, ate some cheese, and watched some figure skating. The beers were surprisingly strong!
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Amsterdam First Impressions, Feb 13-14 2018
We were up again by 3:30am to pack for Amsterdam and we had a quick breakfast of yogurt-like skyr, juice, and hot chocolate before heading to the bus stop for our prearranged 5am pickup. We stood out in the early morning cold with out big backpacks on until 10 minutes past our pickup time and then began to get worried so I called the bus company. They determined that a mistake had been made on their end and sent a shuttle straight out to get us so we made it to our 5:30 flybus to the airport. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:45, but on the ride over we got an update that it had been delayed until 8:20. Thankfully we had plenty of time until our next flight so it wasn't going to be a problem.
At the airport I stopped by the VAT refund desk and got some money back on the Icelandic sweater I had purchased, since the refund you a portion of the tax charged on souvenirs over a certain amount if you show them your receipts. Then we got our boarding passes printed out, went through security which was rather painless, and found our gate. While we waited I answered a tourist research survey.
The flight to Copenhagen was around 3 hours. We ate some of our packed snacks and watched a movie and I read a little bit of our Amsterdam guidebook to start preparing. We were flying through Copenhagen because it was the cheapest option. In fact the way we booked our flights was originally a round-trip ticket from Seattle to Copenhagen with a 5-day layover in Reykjavik. Then we booked a round-trip ticket to Amsterdam from Copenhagen, so our last 5 days will be back in Copenhagen before flying back through Reykjavik on the way home.
We had about a 3 hour layover in Copenhagen before our final flight so we found a spot at O'Leary's and had some overly-expensive bar snacks and some giant Carlsberg beers while we played Quiddler, a card game where you spell for points, and had a great time. The last flight was a couple of hours and we were seated in an emergency exit row so I got some extra leg-room which was nice. We arrived at Schiphol airport around 5:30pm. We were both getting a little tired at this point and our brains getting a bit fuzzy.
The weather cool but still much warmer than either Iceland or Denmark which was a welcome change. We still needed to get to Amsterdam so we bought one-way train tickets to Amsterdam Centraal station. It was only after we had descended onto the rail platforms and boarded a train that I realized we hadn't scanned our tickets at the scanners above and there was no way to scan them now. We rode the train for about 30 minutes, which seemed a bit long for our trip, before I realized we were going the wrong direction. In a panicked I grabbed our bags and we jumped off at the next stop and in my hurry I dropped my phone. It bounced off the platform, but luckily it did not drop onto the tracks and the screen was still intact.
We crossed the tracks and had to buy new one-way tickets back to the airport. This time I was sure to scan them. We only had to wait 15 minutes for the next train and then we were back on our way in the right direction. Back at the airport I made sure to scan out and then used our old original tickets to scan us back in. We were much more careful about finding the correct train the second time around. We got to Amsterdam Centraal around 7:30pm and we properly scanned our tickets on our way out of the station.
Our next destination was to find our hotel and drop off our bags. Thankfully the Ibis was adjacent to the train station. Just outside of the hotel was a multi-level bike parking area which was absolutely packed with bikes. The guidebook warned us to beware at all times of being run over by these silent killers. Bikes and scooters constantly zip along the narrow paths and have the right of way in Amsterdam.
We went inside our hotel and checked in. Rick Steves describes the Hotel Ibis as cheap and utterly charmless and he's absolutely right. The door doesn't open all the way because it connects with the foot of the bed, which reminded me immediately of the Lord Jim hostel near Earls Court in London that we had dubbed the Internet Hole since we only stayed there long enough to use the internet to find a better place to stay. We found tiny black hairs on the bedsheets and questionable stains on one of the chairs. I was disappointed that there wasn't a drying rack for towels and laundry. However the bed did turn out to be roomy and comfortable and you couldn't beat the location. Surprisingly it was rather quiet that first night and we both ended up getting a good night's sleep.
Although we were both tired we decided to go out and get some dinner before going to bed. We headed out on the main drag and I went in search of a not-so suspicious ATM. There are lots of independent ATM companies and most of the currency exchange places have ATMs, but the best rates are at the banks which were rather hard to locate. We wandered the canals and finally found a Rabobank over in the Jordaan neighborhood.
Armed with cash in hand we continued on until we reached La Perla, a popular pizzaria. It was busy that evening, but we still managed to get seated rather quickly at a shared table. We ordered two personal-sized pizzas and shared them along with some wine. After the prices in Iceland and Denmark we were pleasantly surprised at how comparatively cheap everything was. After a great meal we were feeling quite satisfied and wandered back along the beautifully lit canals to our room.
We got up late the next day and decided to do the first of many walking tours. I'd downloaded some audio-guides with the Rick Steves app on my phone, but we were going to have to share a single set of earbuds as we walked. Since it was Valentine's Day we thought it was appropriate. Before we started our first tour we stopped by the train station again and got a chai and a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was neat because you got to pick out a chunk of chocolate from the display case with a ton of flavor options and then they plopped it in a cup and melted it with steamed milk. We definitely plan to go back there.
The city walk tour started at the Amsterdam Centraal train station. The exterior was very fancy and the interior had be completely renovated in a more modern style. Next we headed down the Damrak, which is one of the main drags downtown, and stopped at the very cool Sex Museum. It occupies two tall multi-storied narrow buildings connected by covered exterior staircases that seem to go every which way. The exhibits themselves were fun and interesting and it was actually less cheesy than I expected. I'd say it's well worth checking out.
After the Sex Museum we continued our walking tour to Dam Square, grabbed a tasty sandwich roll to share along the pedestrian mall along Kalverstraat, swung by the Amsterdam Museum, took in the view at the top of a slanty elevator at a mall, through an open-air flower market, and finished up all the way down at Leidplein Square.
It was still too early for dinner so we went in search of a drink and found a nice pub featuring 100 Danish beers. We got a pilsner and a glass of the local gin called jenever to share. The pub was near the place we were going to be staying for the final two nights in Amsterdam so we wandered over to check it out.
Kat had the brilliant idea that we should do some pot while we were in Amsterdam since it was everywhere and kind of one of the things to do so she searched her phone for a place to grab an edible, since we don't enjoy the smell or act of smoking. She found a place called Best Friends that supposedly had some good cupcakes so we headed there. The recommended dose was half a cupcake if you are a lightweight so we shared only a third between the two of us. It was enough to get mellow and not get much else which was just fine for us.
Now it was time to get some serious munchies so we headed to dinner at a recommended place called Kantil & de Tiger, an Indonesian restaurant. There are many Indonesian restaurants here because the Netherlands had colonies in Indonesia at one point in time. We ordered rejsttafel, a traditional Indonesian feast of small plates meant to be shared and stuffed ourselves.
After dinner we attempted to see Anne Frank's house back in the Jordaan district, but we had not made reservations and they were completely sold out for the rest of the month. Instead we wandered back downtown and grabbed some hot drinks before starting our next audio-tour, the Red Light District. I think it was a fitting tour to experience on Valentine's Day. It wasn't nearly as seedy or tacky as I had imagined it might be and we had a very nice evening stroll while window shopping. Soon our tour was over however and we took our own self-guided tour back to our room.
At the airport I stopped by the VAT refund desk and got some money back on the Icelandic sweater I had purchased, since the refund you a portion of the tax charged on souvenirs over a certain amount if you show them your receipts. Then we got our boarding passes printed out, went through security which was rather painless, and found our gate. While we waited I answered a tourist research survey.
The flight to Copenhagen was around 3 hours. We ate some of our packed snacks and watched a movie and I read a little bit of our Amsterdam guidebook to start preparing. We were flying through Copenhagen because it was the cheapest option. In fact the way we booked our flights was originally a round-trip ticket from Seattle to Copenhagen with a 5-day layover in Reykjavik. Then we booked a round-trip ticket to Amsterdam from Copenhagen, so our last 5 days will be back in Copenhagen before flying back through Reykjavik on the way home.
We had about a 3 hour layover in Copenhagen before our final flight so we found a spot at O'Leary's and had some overly-expensive bar snacks and some giant Carlsberg beers while we played Quiddler, a card game where you spell for points, and had a great time. The last flight was a couple of hours and we were seated in an emergency exit row so I got some extra leg-room which was nice. We arrived at Schiphol airport around 5:30pm. We were both getting a little tired at this point and our brains getting a bit fuzzy.
The weather cool but still much warmer than either Iceland or Denmark which was a welcome change. We still needed to get to Amsterdam so we bought one-way train tickets to Amsterdam Centraal station. It was only after we had descended onto the rail platforms and boarded a train that I realized we hadn't scanned our tickets at the scanners above and there was no way to scan them now. We rode the train for about 30 minutes, which seemed a bit long for our trip, before I realized we were going the wrong direction. In a panicked I grabbed our bags and we jumped off at the next stop and in my hurry I dropped my phone. It bounced off the platform, but luckily it did not drop onto the tracks and the screen was still intact.
We crossed the tracks and had to buy new one-way tickets back to the airport. This time I was sure to scan them. We only had to wait 15 minutes for the next train and then we were back on our way in the right direction. Back at the airport I made sure to scan out and then used our old original tickets to scan us back in. We were much more careful about finding the correct train the second time around. We got to Amsterdam Centraal around 7:30pm and we properly scanned our tickets on our way out of the station.
Our next destination was to find our hotel and drop off our bags. Thankfully the Ibis was adjacent to the train station. Just outside of the hotel was a multi-level bike parking area which was absolutely packed with bikes. The guidebook warned us to beware at all times of being run over by these silent killers. Bikes and scooters constantly zip along the narrow paths and have the right of way in Amsterdam.
We went inside our hotel and checked in. Rick Steves describes the Hotel Ibis as cheap and utterly charmless and he's absolutely right. The door doesn't open all the way because it connects with the foot of the bed, which reminded me immediately of the Lord Jim hostel near Earls Court in London that we had dubbed the Internet Hole since we only stayed there long enough to use the internet to find a better place to stay. We found tiny black hairs on the bedsheets and questionable stains on one of the chairs. I was disappointed that there wasn't a drying rack for towels and laundry. However the bed did turn out to be roomy and comfortable and you couldn't beat the location. Surprisingly it was rather quiet that first night and we both ended up getting a good night's sleep.
Although we were both tired we decided to go out and get some dinner before going to bed. We headed out on the main drag and I went in search of a not-so suspicious ATM. There are lots of independent ATM companies and most of the currency exchange places have ATMs, but the best rates are at the banks which were rather hard to locate. We wandered the canals and finally found a Rabobank over in the Jordaan neighborhood.
Armed with cash in hand we continued on until we reached La Perla, a popular pizzaria. It was busy that evening, but we still managed to get seated rather quickly at a shared table. We ordered two personal-sized pizzas and shared them along with some wine. After the prices in Iceland and Denmark we were pleasantly surprised at how comparatively cheap everything was. After a great meal we were feeling quite satisfied and wandered back along the beautifully lit canals to our room.
We got up late the next day and decided to do the first of many walking tours. I'd downloaded some audio-guides with the Rick Steves app on my phone, but we were going to have to share a single set of earbuds as we walked. Since it was Valentine's Day we thought it was appropriate. Before we started our first tour we stopped by the train station again and got a chai and a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was neat because you got to pick out a chunk of chocolate from the display case with a ton of flavor options and then they plopped it in a cup and melted it with steamed milk. We definitely plan to go back there.
The city walk tour started at the Amsterdam Centraal train station. The exterior was very fancy and the interior had be completely renovated in a more modern style. Next we headed down the Damrak, which is one of the main drags downtown, and stopped at the very cool Sex Museum. It occupies two tall multi-storied narrow buildings connected by covered exterior staircases that seem to go every which way. The exhibits themselves were fun and interesting and it was actually less cheesy than I expected. I'd say it's well worth checking out.
After the Sex Museum we continued our walking tour to Dam Square, grabbed a tasty sandwich roll to share along the pedestrian mall along Kalverstraat, swung by the Amsterdam Museum, took in the view at the top of a slanty elevator at a mall, through an open-air flower market, and finished up all the way down at Leidplein Square.
It was still too early for dinner so we went in search of a drink and found a nice pub featuring 100 Danish beers. We got a pilsner and a glass of the local gin called jenever to share. The pub was near the place we were going to be staying for the final two nights in Amsterdam so we wandered over to check it out.
Kat had the brilliant idea that we should do some pot while we were in Amsterdam since it was everywhere and kind of one of the things to do so she searched her phone for a place to grab an edible, since we don't enjoy the smell or act of smoking. She found a place called Best Friends that supposedly had some good cupcakes so we headed there. The recommended dose was half a cupcake if you are a lightweight so we shared only a third between the two of us. It was enough to get mellow and not get much else which was just fine for us.
Now it was time to get some serious munchies so we headed to dinner at a recommended place called Kantil & de Tiger, an Indonesian restaurant. There are many Indonesian restaurants here because the Netherlands had colonies in Indonesia at one point in time. We ordered rejsttafel, a traditional Indonesian feast of small plates meant to be shared and stuffed ourselves.
After dinner we attempted to see Anne Frank's house back in the Jordaan district, but we had not made reservations and they were completely sold out for the rest of the month. Instead we wandered back downtown and grabbed some hot drinks before starting our next audio-tour, the Red Light District. I think it was a fitting tour to experience on Valentine's Day. It wasn't nearly as seedy or tacky as I had imagined it might be and we had a very nice evening stroll while window shopping. Soon our tour was over however and we took our own self-guided tour back to our room.
Monday, February 12, 2018
Feb 12, 2018: Wrapping up Reykjavik
The weather cleared up by Monday morning so we had breakfast in the room again, packed new sandwiches, and then headed out to the bus stop by 9:30am to catch the shuttle to our Golden Circle tour. We were at the main bus station and on our tour bus by the time it headed out at 10:30am.
The drive was beautiful, the sun was out and the morning sky was clear and the scenery was stunning. I didn't want to miss a minute of it, but Kat hadn't slept well the night before as per her usual so she napped a bit on the way there and back. Our tour guide was an older gentleman, a retired physics teacher with a broken rib, who kept up a fairly constant and dry narrative that taught us everything we needed to know about Iceland's history, geology, horticulture, and socio-economical underpinnings. The time just flew by.
The first stop on our grand tour was Thingvellir National Park. It has a rich history as the birthplace of Icelandic nationhood and seemed to be a favorite of our guide in particular. It is also notable for being along the path of where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. Kat stood astride a narrow fissure with one foot on each of the two plates and I took her picture. The fissure quickly widens and becomes a narrow gully and then a massive cliff face looking out over an icy lake. It was breathtakingly beautiful but we only had a half-hour to spend there until we had to be back on the bus. It was far too short a stay.
Our second stop was Geysir hot spring area. The area was dotted with many small hot springs and was home to at least two major geysers. The oldest and most renowned, Old Geysir, had stopped erupting some time ago, but it was still impressive to look at. The smaller yet active geyser sprayed an impressive amount of steam into the air every few minutes. It smelled of egg-farts everywhere. We had about an hour to wander around before getting back on the bus so we took our time and ate most of our packed lunches at the cantina.
The last stop of the tour was at Gullfoss, or Golden Falls. I really didn't know what to expect and so my mind was blown when we finally got to the viewing area. It was massive and awe-inspiring. We walked along the overlook and I took way too many pictures, but none of them do it justice. There was a hugely long line for the stairs leading down to the base of the falls, which was hardly moving at all, so we did not get a chance to get any closer, which is a shame. We also learned while we were there that our Northern Lights tour for that evening had been canceled due to expected cloud cover so I was doubly disappointed. We decided we would just have to come back again some time and get another chance at both.
On the trip back we passed through some small communities that focused on greenhouse agriculture, many horse farms, and several Summer houses, one of which was own by our guide. We got back to the main bus station by 6pm and got a refund for our Northern Lights tour, since we would not be able to reschedule it. We didn't bother mentioning to the attendant that we'd gotten a discount on our booking when we were refunded the full amount.
Since we found ourselves ahead of the game we decided to splurge on dinner that night after we stopped briefly at the apartment. Our guidebook suggested the restaurant at the Borg Hotel for fine dining and an authentic Icelandic experience, but when we got there it had apparently changed ownership and now was called Jamie's and served Italian cuisine. That suited us just fine in any case and dinner turned out to be just fine.
After dinner we decided to go have soak at a nearby outdoor geothermic pool. Along the walk we wandered by a really neat looking cemetery and I stopped to take a few pics. Our soak in the pool was relaxing and just what we needed to bookend our stay in Reykjavik.
The drive was beautiful, the sun was out and the morning sky was clear and the scenery was stunning. I didn't want to miss a minute of it, but Kat hadn't slept well the night before as per her usual so she napped a bit on the way there and back. Our tour guide was an older gentleman, a retired physics teacher with a broken rib, who kept up a fairly constant and dry narrative that taught us everything we needed to know about Iceland's history, geology, horticulture, and socio-economical underpinnings. The time just flew by.
The first stop on our grand tour was Thingvellir National Park. It has a rich history as the birthplace of Icelandic nationhood and seemed to be a favorite of our guide in particular. It is also notable for being along the path of where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. Kat stood astride a narrow fissure with one foot on each of the two plates and I took her picture. The fissure quickly widens and becomes a narrow gully and then a massive cliff face looking out over an icy lake. It was breathtakingly beautiful but we only had a half-hour to spend there until we had to be back on the bus. It was far too short a stay.
Our second stop was Geysir hot spring area. The area was dotted with many small hot springs and was home to at least two major geysers. The oldest and most renowned, Old Geysir, had stopped erupting some time ago, but it was still impressive to look at. The smaller yet active geyser sprayed an impressive amount of steam into the air every few minutes. It smelled of egg-farts everywhere. We had about an hour to wander around before getting back on the bus so we took our time and ate most of our packed lunches at the cantina.
The last stop of the tour was at Gullfoss, or Golden Falls. I really didn't know what to expect and so my mind was blown when we finally got to the viewing area. It was massive and awe-inspiring. We walked along the overlook and I took way too many pictures, but none of them do it justice. There was a hugely long line for the stairs leading down to the base of the falls, which was hardly moving at all, so we did not get a chance to get any closer, which is a shame. We also learned while we were there that our Northern Lights tour for that evening had been canceled due to expected cloud cover so I was doubly disappointed. We decided we would just have to come back again some time and get another chance at both.
On the trip back we passed through some small communities that focused on greenhouse agriculture, many horse farms, and several Summer houses, one of which was own by our guide. We got back to the main bus station by 6pm and got a refund for our Northern Lights tour, since we would not be able to reschedule it. We didn't bother mentioning to the attendant that we'd gotten a discount on our booking when we were refunded the full amount.
Since we found ourselves ahead of the game we decided to splurge on dinner that night after we stopped briefly at the apartment. Our guidebook suggested the restaurant at the Borg Hotel for fine dining and an authentic Icelandic experience, but when we got there it had apparently changed ownership and now was called Jamie's and served Italian cuisine. That suited us just fine in any case and dinner turned out to be just fine.
After dinner we decided to go have soak at a nearby outdoor geothermic pool. Along the walk we wandered by a really neat looking cemetery and I stopped to take a few pics. Our soak in the pool was relaxing and just what we needed to bookend our stay in Reykjavik.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)