2019 Europe – Our Travel Blogs

12/05/201922/10/2020

2019 Europe Adventure – Brisbane to Amsterdam

This entry is part 1 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

Wednesday, 8 May to Saturday, 11 May

Ben drove us to the airport for our flight to Amsterdam via Dubai. We left at 2100 on Wednesday and arrived in Amsterdam at 1400 on Thursday after a 3 hour stopover and winding the clocks back 8 hours. Hotel JL No76 on Jan Luijkenstraadt was close to the Rijksmuseum and the tram line and proved a good base for exploring.

We were up at 0530, so after breakfast had plenty of time for a walk around the nearby Vondel Park before going to the Rijksmuseum to line up for tickets at 0830.

This museum is currently featuring a special exhibit about Rembrandt on the 350th anniversary of his death. The museum reopened in 2013 after a 10 year renovation that cost 500 million dollars and is an impressive home for the vast collection of Dutch art.

Self portraits were used to practise techniques

After spending an hour and a half at the Rembrandt exhibit we then enjoyed just a small fraction of the remaining artwork all with the aid of an audio guide.

We were glad we got in early as the crowds built

After lunch we walked around the city streets with the aid of Rick Steve’s audio guides. It is certainly a beautiful well preserved city.

We love bikes and the bike infrastructure here is very impressive.

On Saturday morning we did another audio guide assisted walk, this time around the famous red light district.

The old church at the centre of the district

After lunch we headed off to board the Quo Vadis, our home for the next 11 days.

14/05/201916/04/2020

Bike and Barge – Amsterdam to Haarlem to Leiden

This entry is part 2 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

Saturday, 11 May to Sunday 12 May 2019

We caught 2 trams from our hotel to reach our home for the next 10 nights – the barge Quo Vadis. We sailed out of Amsterdam at 1430 after meeting our crew of Captain Burt, 1st mate Franco, chef Agnes and Nayler, chefs assistant and housekeeping. Our cycling guides were Rikko and Andre. We had 18 cyclists on board – 5 Australians, 2 Americans and 11 Canadians.

We said goodbye to Amsterdam and made our way along the North Sea canal before entering a smaller canal towards Spaarndam. At 1630 our bikes were unloaded and we began a short 17 km ride to meet the Quo Vadis at Haarlem.

Hans Brinker – the boy who put his finger in the dike

Day 1 Ride route Amsterdam to Haarlem – 17kms

It was 6 degrees when we woke up on Sunday morning and with a strong wind off the North Sea it felt even colder. We started with a tour of Haarlem including a Jewish memorial.

When it started to rain, Rikko assured us it wouldn’t last long but it was long enough to make us all look forward to our morning tea stop after just 10 kms. The sun was out for the 19km to Noordwijk on the North Sea much of the ride on tracks through the coastal dunes.

We had passed the Atlantic Wall Museum on the way so during our lunch break a few of us cycled back for a look.

The last 25 km to Leiden saw some beautiful scenery and a 1715 arrival back at the barge.

Another beautiful dinner followed by a briefing for the next day and then an hour and a half walk around the old town. A long but interesting day.

Day 2 Ride Routes Haarlem to morning tea – 10km

Morning tea to Noordwijk – 19km

Noordwijk to Leiden – 25kms

16/05/201922/10/2020

Bike and Barge – Leiden to Delft to Willemstad

This entry is part 3 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

Monday, 13 May to Tuesday, 14 May 2019

We awoke to a beautiful if cool morning in Leiden.

We are starting to get into the boat routine, breakfast at 8 and on the bikes by 9 for the day’s adventure. We rode to the western gate to see where Rembrandt was born before riding again through the dunes to our morning tea stop on the North Sea.

From here more riding through dunes including a memorial to resistance fighters executed here during the second world war. The tracks are excellent with sections for bikes, pedestrians and horses.

Next stop was The Hague, with some beautiful riding through parks and a stop at the royal palace.

While we were looking at the parliament buildings, Rikko was excited to point out the Netherlands Prime Minister walking by. He said hello and we were surprised that there was no sign of security.

Our riding group with guide Rikko in front

After a late lunch we headed for the Quo Vadis moored in Delft. 45 kms today. Another city tour after dinner saw us fall into bed exhausted yet again.

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, father of microbiology was born in Delft

On Tuesday morning we left Delft and headed to Rotterdam, known for its architecture and bridges. Another scenic ride to the second largest city and the largest port in the Netherlands.

We had lunch in the Marketplace, an architectural wonder of apartments over the market area.

May 14 was the 79th anniversary of the bombing of Rotterdam when the city centre was flattened. Bells in all the churches started tolling at 1.20, the time the raid started. It was very moving.

Statue depicting the heart ripped out of the city

After lunch we boarded a fast ferry to Kindersdijk to visit a windmill and hear how they were vital for water management in the country below sea level. 19 of the original 20 windmills remain.

This volunteer’s grandfather was one of the millers here

Back on the Quo Vadis for a dinner cruise to Willemstad and another city walk. 38 kms today.

17/05/201922/10/2020

Bike and Barge – Willemstad to Zierikzee to Middleburg

This entry is part 4 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

Wednesday, 15 May to Thursday, 16 May 2019

We left Willemstad and headed roughly west – again with a NE tailwind. We went over 3 huge locks where Warren unfortunately had a tumble after another rider went down. Luckily both were ok and we continued along a dyke to the nearby island. We were now riding past fields of crops over quiet country roads.

Quo Vadis entering the lock

Our morning tea stop was at the worst hit town of the great flood of 1953. Over 300 people lost their lives at the small village of Oude Tonge. We visited the cemetery where the victims were buried in a mass grave on the dyke, the only dry land in the village at the time. It was 9 months before the holes in the dykes were repaired and the people could return to their homes.

Sad to see lots of graves for children in the cemetery

From here we cycled across another long dyke and into the province of Zeeland. Lunch was a picnic beside the dyke before we headed to the Watersnood (Flood) Museum.

The museum was built inside the 4 concrete caissons that were used to close the last breach of the dyke after the flood. There had been 67 breaches in total and this last breach was not closed until November 1953, 9 months after the storm. 1836 people lost their lives and the government responded with the Delta Works project to prevent a recurrence.

After our visit we headed to Zierikzee after 57km on the bike.

On Thursday we rode from Zierekzee along the dykes stopping to view the Zeeland bridge and a tower that is all that is left of a village washed away during a storm.

We had a morning tea stop overlooking the islands and the Delta Works barriers that can be lowered to prevent storm waters flooding the delta. They are 15km long and close automatically if the water level gets to 3m above the Amsterdam standard. It is an amazing feat of engineering and we appreciated it much more after yesterday’s visit to the flood museum.

We then cycled to the beach for lunch and then on to the busy tourist village of Veere. A few more kms and we arrived at Middleburg after 55km.

We had another small city walk with Rikko, about an hour around Middleburg. It was bombed heavily before Zeeland surrendered, 3 days after the rest of the Netherlands.

19/05/201912/05/2020

Bike and Barge – Middleburg to Ghent to Kortrijk (almost)

This entry is part 5 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

Friday, 17 May to Saturday, 18 May 2019

At 0615 Burt fired up the engines and we waited for the bridge to lift so we could travel up the canal to the port of Vlissingen.

Here we left the barge to board a ferry across the inlet to Breskens. We had a headwind for the first 5 km and we started to appreciate how good we have had it the last week.

Bikes still rule – deck for bike storage on the ferry

Conditions improved when we left the coast and cycled along more country roads.

Morning tea was at IJzendijke and lunch at Phillipine. We had a long conversation with a local lady in Dutch and French. Unfortunately we understood very little of what was said but she seemed happy to talk to us regardless.

We then cycled across the border to Sas van Ghent in Belgium where we boarded the barge and motored to Ghent.

After dinner, Captain Burt suggested we go into town to visit a bar that had 500 beers. If you order a yard glass then one of your shoes is taken to make sure you don’t souvenir the glass.

We had a good night and took in the lights of town as the sky darkened. Spectacular.

On Saturday morning, we headed back to Ghent where we had the morning to look around. We visited St Baaf’s Cathedral and viewed the 15th century triptych Mystic Lamb by the van Eyck brothers.

After morning tea we headed off and cycled 48kms to Machelen. This was along the canals and passed many very impressive private residences.

Unfortunately our group was late back to the barge for the sail to Kortrijk and the lock was closed! We then had to backtrack to find a mooring for the night (not very picturesque I’m afraid)

24/05/201912/05/2020

Bike and Barge – Flanders Fields to Bruges

This entry is part 6 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

We awoke to steady rain on Sunday morning and while we finished breakfast our bikes were loaded onto a trailer. We then boarded the bus for an hour drive to Ypres for our tour of the First World War battlefields and museums. With rain still falling, we were given the option to stay on the bus for the 35km circuit or ride. Along with 5 others we elected to take the bus as we don’t enjoy riding in the rain.

After arriving in Ypres, bikers took to their bikes and we all headed to the Flanders Fields Museum.We spent a couple of hours in the museum, hearing stories of the battles in this region.

We then boarded the bus and headed to Zonnebeke to visit the Passchendaele Museum with its recreated tunnels and trenches.

It was then a short trip to Tyne Cot cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War Graves site with nearly 12,000 graves.

Next stop was the German Langemarke Cemetery – the resting place of 44,000 Germans including 25,000 in a mass grave and 3000 school students who were given 6 weeks training and then sent to the front to die within weeks.

Our final stop of a very full day was Essex Farm cemetery where there is a memorial to John MacCrae who wrote the poem In Flanders Fields.

We then returned to Ypres for dinner (Flemish stew) before attending the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate which has occurred every night since 1928 at 8pm to honour the over 54000 soldiers whose names are inscribed on the arch and who have no known grave. The ceremony was held in England during the Second World War but has otherwise run uninterrupted for 91 years.

We all returned to the barge at Kortrijk by bus and fell into bed after a long day. Burt and the crew had an early start to get the barge to Machelen so we could do our final ride to Bruges. The headwinds were not as bad as expected and we enjoyed a nice final day through forests and quiet country roads.

Morning tea stop appreciated in the cold weather

We arrived in Bruges at the same time as the Quo Vadis, so we left our bikes and gear and headed into the old town. We wandered around the old streets and visited the Saint Salvator Cathedral which had been closed for renovations last trip.

Our final nights dinner was a great 4 course meal put together by Agnes and Franko. Shayne entertained us all with a song he had composed describing our adventure and all too soon it was off to bed to get ready for leaving the Quo Vadis the next morning. It was a memorable trip – great companions, informative guides and masterful crew. A wonderful start to our time in Europe.

28/05/201912/05/2020

Arras and The Somme Battlefields

This entry is part 7 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

We left the Quo Vadis after breakfast and after 3 trains we arrived in the town of Arras in the north of France. The Hotel Particulier had been recommended by a local guide and is a beautiful old home that has been lovingly converted to a modern hotel.

We checked in and headed into town where we saw the highs and lows of Arras. First we climbed the tower which gave some great views and then did a tour of the underground tunnels “Les Boves”.

Next morning we were picked up by Miriam, our guide for our tour of the Somme Battlefields and the reason for our stop in Arras. First stop was the Australian War Memorial built on top of Hill 106. Miriam explained that occupation of the high ground was a key objective in battles in this area.

The Australian Government opened the John Monash centre last year behind the Australian War Memorial. It is state of the art and included a lot of original photos and footage. We were moved by and as Australians proud of both sites.

Next stop was the village of Villers Bretonneux and in particular the school built with money raised by Victorian school kids.

School hall, part of the Australian design, is rare in France.

The 100m wide Lochnagar Crater was the result of a huge mine exploded under the German front line after a tunnel 274 m long and 17 m deep was dug by British troops.

The Red Baron was shot down here by an Australian machine gunner.

Memorial needs to be viewed from the right spot

Final stop was a visit to the only remaining trenches in this region in the Newfoundland Memorial.

Trenches clearly visible on Google Earth

Our private tour had been a great way to cover a lot of territory and Miriam’s knowledge certainly helped explain events in the area. We would highly recommend her Walkabout Digger Tours.

30/05/201912/05/2020

Prague

This entry is part 8 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

Thursday, 23 May to Monday, 27 May 2019

After our big day visiting the Somme battlefields, it was early to bed as we had to catch the 0730 train to Paris on Thursday morning. We then caught a flight to Prague, then a bus and 2 metro trains to our hotel.

On Friday, we did a self guided Rick Steve walking tour. We have found these a good way to get some of the history of the area and visit some less well known places.

Tour start at the Wenceslas square in front of the National Museum

Next up was the main town square with its town hall which was partly destroyed by 3 German tanks as the Germans withdrew at the end of WW2. Luckily Prague was not bombed by the allies so many beautiful old houses remain.

From the Town Square we walked to Charles Bridge, another popular spot for tourists.

On Saturday, we went back to the Town Hall to climb to the top and to do a tour of the building and the now underground medieval houses beneath it.

Crowd waiting for the Astronomical Clock

In the afternoon, for a change of pace we visited the Museum of Communism. It described post WW2 life in Communist Czechoslovakia – the ideals, the reality and the nightmare of a police state. The Velvet Revolution in 1989 was a win for non violent people power that led to the fall of communism in Prague and Czechoslovakia.

On Saturday evening we went back to the Municipal House for a concert of classical music with opera and ballet. Great night out in a beautiful building.

On Sunday, we visited Prague Castle, the largest working castle in the world with government offices and state rooms. Construction began in the 900s with addition after addition. A good example is St George’s church which has Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque and Renaissance parts.

St Vitus Cathedral is the resting place of Charles IV, Wenceslas I and IV and Saint John of Nepomuk whose statue with its 5 stars around the head is found throughout Prague.

On Sunday night we met our fellow cruisers on the Avalon Envision and did a walking tour with some on Monday morning.

We then caught the funicular up to the Petrin Tower (Little Eiffel Tower) which has beautiful views over the city.

Our last night in Prague we went to a Czech folklore dinner with our new friends. Lots of fun, good food and plenty of drinks.

01/06/201923/08/2019

Danube River Cruise – Part 1

This entry is part 9 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

Tuesday, 28 May to Thursday, 30 May 2019

We awoke on Tuesday morning to overcast skies and drizzle that turned to rain. We had a walk to the Jewish quarter of Prague and then boarded our bus for the 4 hour trip to Regensburg. We were supposed to join our ship Avalon Envision in Nuremberg, however this was changed to Regensburg due to a rapidly rising Danube. As soon as we had boarded, the ship left and headed downstream. One bridge would only have cms clearance and a delay would have us stuck until the levels began to drop. This meant several changes to our itinerary as we kept moving downstream to keep ahead of the rising waters.

We awoke on Wednesday morning to light rain in Passau, Germany. The day started with a guided walk of the town where the Danube, Inn and Ilz Rivers meet. The Town Hall had marks showing the height of major floods over the last 500 years. The River was already over the walls and slowly covering the river paths. The last major flood of the Danube was 2013. Hopefully it won’t be repeated this year.

The baroque Cathedral was impressive and there was an interesting assortment of shops.

During lunch we set sail for Linz, Austria arriving about 1730. After dinner, we were entertained by Hans who played Bavarian tunes on a variety of instruments. He was a non English speaking comedian who kept us all laughing. Warren and I got called up as part of his audience participation. We didn’t know we could play the washboard.

We started Thursday with a guided tour of Linz.

This city was heavily bombed by the allies during WW2 and is now a mix of old and new buildings.

Hitler spent time in Linz as a child and built these buildings

Mozart composed the Linzer Symphony in the building below in only 3 days in 1783.

We then took a tram across the river and up to Postlingberg. The 18th century chapel was popular with pilgrims and the tramway opened in 1898. There was a great view over the city that was spoiled by smoke from the chimneys of the steelworks in the town.

After lunch we decided to borrow 2 bikes off the ship and ride along the Danube. We visited the nearby town of Ottensheim, covering 28kms in our wanderings.

Austrians don’t like being confused with Australians either

06/06/201912/05/2020

Danube River Cruise – Part 2

This entry is part 10 of 14 in the series 2019 Europe

Friday 31 May to Monday, 3 June 2019

We awoke on Friday morning in Melk and after breakfast headed up to the Benedictine Abbey. This is a vast complex of buildings that were extensively (and expensively) renovated from 1978 to 1995 after a fire in 1974. The abbey was founded in 1089 but the building that stands today was built in the early 18th century.

We couldn’t take any photos inside but it is beautiful. Our guide was passionate about religious relics and had traced many throughout Europe. The school in the grounds was reopened after the war and now has 900 students. We walked back to the Envision through the village of Melk.

No room in the bags for new clothes Warren

We left Melk at 1130 to sail through the Wachau valley. Our Cruise Director, Akos, described the old castles and churches while we sat on the top deck.

We spent the afternoon cruising to Vienna, where we spent 2 nights due to the changes in our itinerary in the first few days. On our first day we did a city walk around the old town. It has many beautiful old buildings but lacked the charm of some other places we have visited.

On Saturday afternoon we took to the bikes with our Adventure host, Hristo, who has also been giving yoga and Pilates classes in the mornings. We crossed the river to the large island in the Danube that contains large parks and a rowing course.

When we crossed to the northern bank to were surprised by the number of nude sunbathers out in this hot afternoon. Eyes on the road was essential.

To finish a very full day, we went to an entertaining waltz and operetta concert in town.

On Sunday morning we headed into town and the Roman Museum. Vienna had been an important Roman fort town and excavations had revealed the remains of many buildings under the city.

Our afternoon excursion was to Schonbrunn Castle, the summer palace of the Hapsburgs, who ruled Austria and Hungary for over 640 years. The castle has 1400 rooms of which we saw about 20 on our tour (again no photos inside).

We left Vienna at 1700 for the final cruise to Budapest. We arrived about 0830 and immediately went for a bus tour around the city that ended with a short visit to the castle overlooking the Danube.

In the afternoon we decided to head out of the city on an excursion to 2 small wineries. Both were great locations with informative hosts and great wines. Hungary is known for its quality wine but most is drunk in Hungary.

Village of Etyek has lots of small family run wineries

Our last dinner was a time to say goodbye to new friends and then enjoy the Budapest lights from our home in the heart of Budapest.