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European Holiday and River Cruising Memoirs

Monthly Archives: September 2013

Day 3 – Cologne and its Grand Gothic Cathedral

27 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam to Budapest, Cologne, Uncategorized, Viking River Cruise

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Cologne, Cologne Cathedral, Germany, Green Sightseeing Train, History, Prussians, Rhine, Robert Louis Stevenson, World War II

I never weary of great churches. They are my favourite kind of mountain scenery. Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it created a great cathedral.    – so said Robert Louis Stevenson 1850 – 1894

On reflection, there must have been inspiration aplenty surrounding the building of the gorgeous Cologne Dom.

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One of the enjoyable things about our recent Viking holiday was the informative sightseeing walks. We would usually explore a little of each day’s new territory on foot learning about the culture and history as we went.

There were always cities, villages, castles or other historical landmarks to acquaint ourselves with ……..and walking actually seemed to allow us more time to really get to know an area as we burnt off some of those extra kilojoules we’d been consuming (mind you this was probably deemed more important by those of us with the weakest willpower; unfortunately that would have to include me I’m afraid!)

Stained Glass-Cologne Cathedra

Stained Glass-Cologne Cathedra

Well for today’s walk we’d soon be visiting the enormous Cologne Cathedral. We would then view and discuss the surrounding old-town areas of the Cologne city centre, with its cobble-stoned streets and its many centuries of German and early Roman history.

Interior of Cologne Cathedral

Interior of Cologne Cathedral

Cologne is currently Germany’s 4th largest city. Built right on the banks of the Rhine, it is said to have been established by the Romans back in the 1st Centrury A.D.

Tragically, it suffered major damage during World War II. This necessitated a painstaking and costly rebuild in the post war era. The Cologne Cathedral or DOM took many hits from bombers during the war years. However, it actually remained standing despite much of Cologne being flattened around it.

Small Side Altar Cologne Cathedra

Small Side Altar Cologne Cathedra

Today, Cologne DOM is ranked up there as one of the tallest gothic cathedrals in the world. It is graced with much elaborate detail and quality craftsmanship. You really have to stop to contemplate how difficult it must have been to build a structure such as this…and especially way back then. Without access to any modern day technology it would have been an enormous challenge for the early artisans. Today it is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can actually choose to go right on up to the top of the structure if you wish. You need considerable perseverance though, as I believe there are some 500 steps to be negotiated in all.

Earlier that morning, and prior to our scheduled daily walk, dearly beloved  (D.B.) and I had actually contemplated this climb (rather enthusiastically I recall at the time). Unfortunately we’d then run out of puff……. After the informative morning walk, we’d decided to head right on back to the Longship for one of those delicious Viking lunches. Sadly, I have to report that by the mid afternoon we’d totally lost our earlier resolve. However…. I believe others did manage to climb to the very top. Those that did were justly rewarded for their efforts with the most splendid views out over the city and river.

My D.B. was quite taken with some of the DOM’s early building history. I noted he was showing greater than usual levels of interest….actually paying attention – especially in relation to the fact that the cathedral build was said to have been finally completed by a team of Prussians in around the mid 19th century.

Well…… being of (possible) Prussian heritage himself, D. B. truly enjoyed this minor detail (even today he continues to put much more emphasis on it than one would expect).  He still holds his head rather high as he states with considerable (possibly) Prussian pride “well you know it was actually my mob that finally got this whole job finished!”

Afterall, the cathedral had been “under construction” for a total of some 650 or so years in all. I guess that does seem like a mighty long time to be building anything. It is truly an amazing structure with unbelievable architectural detail. As is often said….. they just don’t build them like this anymore!

And we certainly don’t have any of them in Australia…AKA God’s own Country! (Now explain that!)

Later the same afternoon (with free time to explore Cologne on our own), we’d headed back into town. By now, we were feeling somewhat weary after having walked in the morning and eaten yet another delicious Viking lunch back onboard the ship (soup, salad, savoury dish and sweets).

Spring Pansies Cologne

Spring Pansies Cologne

For the rest of the afternoon we simply opted for a relatively relaxing way to see a little more of this lovely German city. We boarded one of those rather charming, but I must also say….. rather extremely bumpy, little sightseeing trains. This allowed us to explore a little further out from the main cobble-stoned old-town areas which we’d meandered through earlier in the day.

Then it was back to our longship for cocktails and another lovely dinner before sailing away.

Sightseeing Train Cologne

Sightseeing Train Cologne

Old Town Centre Cologne

Old Town Centre Cologne

Lovers locks on the Bridge Cologne

Lovers locks on the Bridge Cologne

Kaiser Friedrich III Equestrian Statue Cologne

Kaiser Friedrich III Equestrian Statue Cologne

Cherry Blossoms Cologne

Cherry Blossoms Cologne

Other Great Blogs WITH POSTS AND PICTURES OF COLOGNE:
  • Picture of the Day: Cologne Cathedral During WWII (twistedsifter.com)
  • Thursday’s windows: Cologne Cathedral (adinparadise.wordpress.com)
  • Visit To Cologne – Cologne, Germany (travelpod.com)
  • 10th September – Cologne (laurencewesley55.wordpress.com)
  • Day 3 – Magical sunrise on our way to Cologne (kidazzleink.com)
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Day 3 – A Magical Sunrise on our way to Cologne

25 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam to Budapest, Heading for Cologne, Sunrise, Uncategorized, Viking River Cruise

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Cologne, Eggs Benedict, Germany, Longship, Rhine, Sunrise, Viking

It was dawn on day 3…..and there to greet us as we’d pulled back our stateroom curtain was the most amazing sunrise. It lit up the whole sky with the most beautiful colour display.

Sunrise Day 3

Sunrise Day 3

It  illuminated the entire landscape as it reflected magnificently in the tranquil waters of the Rhine. Oh and I do so love a beautiful sunrise.

I watched in awe at its unfolding beauty, just marvelling at the wonders of nature while capturing these precious moments on my beloved camera.

Such a Magical Sunrise

Such a Magical Sunrise

Back at home we usually arise early. Afterall, we often have to rush to get organized for a busy day at work.

Here on the Viking Tor Longship we knew we could be sleeping in. Mornings were very relaxed and so far we’d been having the most wonderful holiday; a time where all we really needed to do was simply reflect on the days weather, leisurely dress in some comfortable clothes (thankfully Viking promotes casual dressing) and saunter off down to the Main Dining Room, or alternatively, up to the Main Lounge/Aquavit Terrace for some breakfast.

But on this particular morning, the first light of the day was doing an extremely good job of distracting us and putting on a most spectacular display.

We were currently sailing towards Cologne (Koln as it’s called in Germany) which I believe is about the fourth largest city in Germany (Population of about 1.017 million; land Area 405 kilometers square).

Our breakfasts on Viking were friendly social events; there were fellow travelers to greet, dining preferences to be decided, a day’s itinerary to be pondered and many new interests to be explored.

Our food choices allowed for either a light continental or full cooked breakfast (the choice of course was up to you). A delicious buffet was always at the ready especially if you just wanted to save time rather than ordering from the more extensive menu.

Personally dearly beloved and I always liked to mix it up a little. Sometimes we’d simply choose from the buffet. At other times we liked to choose from the main breakfast menu.

I recall the “Eggs Benedict” was simply delicious.

Although you know, when I think about it now, I really do believe I may have caused those poor Viking waiters a wee bit of grief. I always like to order my “Eggs Benedict” rock hard…no runny yolks for me thank you very much. But as everyone knows a hard poached egg always takes much longer to cook….. and especially when someone wants it as hard as I do.

Now in hindsight, I think perhaps those lovely waiters may  have actually preferred to duck for cover when they saw me coming!! Ah but in reality they were always so gracious.

Despite this it was always breakfast with a smile even if they were moaning under that polite outer shell!!

We really enjoyed the magical slowness of these mornings on our Longship. Many of us just liked to simply sit, to catch up on the daily news from back home, pen a post card or two, or simply chat……..we’d often wile away an hour or so just watching the river go by as we anticipated what lay ahead.

Amazing Colour

Amazing Colour

Soon after this it would be off with a WHOOSH as we readied for the “soar and explore” sightseeing agenda of this new exciting day.

Day 2: Kinderdijk: Historic Windmills in The Netherlands

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Kinderdijk, The Netherlands, Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Cats cradle fable, Children's dike, Dutch Countryside, Ground Sailors, Kinderdijk, Viking River Cruise, Windmills

Windmill Kinderdijk

Windmill Kinderdijk

We’d been graciously wined and dined in the convivial atmosphere of our new Longship Tor’s stylishly, comfortable dining room. With its expansive floor to ceiling windows, we’d again been offered the most magical views over the Amsterdam IJ as we had sailed out past the sparkling, city lights that glittered fairy-like on the water, creating their vibrant and colourful, reflections. These night time views of the canal city were both breathtaking and memorable.

We’d also had some opportunity to become acquainted with a few of our new travelling companions. Everyone appeared rather upbeat and happy in anticipation of the exciting days that lay ahead.

By morning, dearly beloved and I had awoken to find ourselves out in the charming Dutch countryside just a few kilometres East of Rotterdam.

Beautiful old home across the river from the windmills

Beautiful old home across the river from the windmills

Today we’d be visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kinderdijk – home to some 19 Windmills that were originally built way back in the 18th Century to drain a polder that sits at the confluence of the Lek and Noord Rivers.

Kinderdijk literally means “Children’s Dike”.

The Dutch tell a wonderful little fable that relates back to the great floods of 1421, in which a cat was observed to work very hard at balancing a baby’s cradle by carefully jumping back and forth from one side to the other as the cradle continued to float dangerously through the rising waters. It is said that these clever actions by the cat caused the cradle to remain upright and afloat as it navigated towards a dike where the baby could be rescued. The infant is believed to have survived the floods, and all thanks to the wise actions of that quick-witted cat. And this is apparently how Kinderdijk originally got its name…or so we were told!.

Living quarters inside a windmill

Living quarters inside a windmill

Shortly after attending a Viking information session on the history of the Kinderdijk region, we’d left our longship and headed off to explore the windmills and view one of the “Ground Sailors” in operation. I had found it fascinating watching these old historical structures turning their blades, just as they’d done for hundreds of years. It was also great to have opportunity to view some of the internal living areas, the timber gears, windshafts and the other machinery used to drive the sails.

Unfortunately, the weather that morning was rather unpleasant….light drizzle and extremely chilly I recall. This tended to make our exploration less exciting than what it would otherwise have been.

Anyway…let’s just say we were now both very thankful to have those big warm cumbersome overcoats that we’d carried with us all the way through the more tropical climate of Singapore and the balmy spring days that had greeted us in Munich just a couple of short weeks ago! You know, somehow it seemed to make up for us having to carry them all that way. We were certainly very very pleased we had them with us on that chilly Spring morning in Kinderdijk.

Related articles
  • 9th September – Kinderdijk to Cologne (laurencewesley55.wordpress.com)
  • Picture of the Day: Windmills in the Netherlands (twistedsifter.com)

Day One: Viking Grand European Tour: A Diamond Day

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Budapest, Uncategorized, Viking River Cruise

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

A Diamond Day, Amsterdam, Budapest, Grand European Tour, UNESCO, Viking Rive Cruise

Greenery on Viking Tor

Greenery on Viking Tor

The sparkling brilliance of this long-awaited day had been radiating through our veins long before the sun’s first golden rays had even filtered through the early morning cloud.

To say we were excited by the wonderful experiences that lay ahead would certainly be an understatement.

Today we’d be leaving Amsterdam; heading off on our 15 night “dream of a lifetime” European River Cruise.

We were going to be travelling on one of Viking’s newest Longships,  the  “VIKING TOR”.

This comfortable ship was about to become our new “home-away-from-home.” It would transport us in complete luxury through 5 different European countries (Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary), 3  major rivers (the Rhine, the Main and the Danube) and through many, many significant historical sites.

By nightfall…we would “OFF AND AWAY.”

Before leaving our hotel in Amsterdam, we sourced some last minute information regarding Tor’s whereabouts from the ever helpful Viking crew (I’d have to say that Viking were always very helpful).

We excitedly packed the last of our (way too many) belongings, ate a yummy continental breakfast in the Holiday Inn Express Hotel lobby (these breakfasts had been light but oh so tasty and oh so conveniently included in our accommodation price over the past few days).

Once everything was finalized, we piled into a taxi with all of our paraphernalia and sped off towards the IJ, which, of course is the name of that very large body of water right in the centre of Amsterdam City, around which all of the smaller canals in Amsterdam are interwoven.

Viking Longships in the IJ.

Viking Longships in the IJ.

Truly, I mean it when I say some days are diamonds! And for the two of us this was truly one of them….right up there with the very best of the best….probably surpassed only by those other really major events in one’s life such as births, weddings, graduations etc.

Our mood was certainly upbeat. Our minds were abuzz with wildly racing and blissful thoughts as we anticipated the beautiful days about to unfold…a whole delightful 15 of them in all.

As we drove along in our Taxi, we found ourselves pondering what might lay ahead. I recall our prattle may have gone something like this:

“Hey, I wonder if our room will be ready when we get there?”

“I don’t know…sure hope so. It certainly would be just great to get everything sorted so we can then sit back and really enjoy the rest of the day.”

“It’ll sure be good to find a home for all of this luggage and STUFF  we’ve been lugging around.”

“Do you think the Longships can be as comfortable and agreeable as they appear to be in those ‘oh so glossy travel brochures’… You know, like the ones we were given by those Viking Reps back home?”

“You know, I think they will be..…they sure appear to be comfy and they look really good in the Viking videos I must say.”

“I wonder what our longship crew will be like?”

Somehow I just think this’ll be really memorable experience? At the very least I’m sure looking forward to seeing all this culture and history throughout Europe… You know, we’ve come so far to do this and we just don’t have anything like it back home in Australia do we?”

“No we don’t. We’ll have to make the most of it while we’re here.”

“I’m actually getting hungry again. I wonder what delicious morsels they might offer us for lunch today.”

“Well so long as it’s all tasty I don’t think I really care. It’s just going to be sooo good to have someone else getting it all prepared…..instead of me having to do it all!”

“Yes I’m really looking forward to just sitting back……it’ll be great to be spoilt for a change!”

Viking Tor Reception

Viking Tor Reception

All in all, I seem to recall that our check-in procedures that day turned out to be TOTALLY EFFORTLESS on our part.

There was a lovely pesto chicken and salad lunch at the ready, with all of the freshest of greens plus breads and rolls laid out in convivial buffet style to greet us up on the Aquavit Terrace.  With views overlooking the Amsterdam IJ, we topped off our lovely lunch with a couple of complimentary glasses of chilled chardonnay.

Oh my what a day. And here’s to the Viking crew was all I could say!

Viking Tor downstairs lounge area

Viking Tor downstairs lounge area

Viking Tor Lobby Area

Viking Tor Lobby Area

The ambiant décor was so pleasing and our Longship was certainly comfortable. It was actually rather refined and stylish and all soooo new…You could literally still smell the paint drying on the walls and the newness of the carpets under foot.  We were both on cloud nine and we knew we were going to have the most amazing time. Our room wasn’t quite ready but our luggage was already checked and long forgotten! Time now just to sit back and enjoy.

Viking Tor main lounge

Viking Tor main lounge

Amsterdam - Last of the tulips

Amsterdam – Last of the tulips

Amsterdam – Last Photos before joining our Viking River Cruise

13 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Budapest, River Cruising, Uncategorized

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

100 New Longships, Amsterdam, Amsterdam Maritime Museum, Amsterdam Pancake Boat, Europe, Keukenhof, Longship, Nemo, Viking River Cruise

Anticipation elevates the excitement of the journey to another level.

                                                                                              Kidazzleink, 2013
Floral Arrangement Keukenhof

Floral Arrangement Keukenhof

With last opportunities for sightseeing in Amsterdam swiftly drawing to a close, our restlessness was once again building. We’d been so looking forward to this wonderfully luxurious 15 day Viking River Cruise. We’d originally booked it so many, many months ago…some twelve months or more in fact; an absolute eternity ago. Ah but finally the big day was drawing near. We would soon be sailing off down the Rhine. Less than 24 hours to go now. We couldn’t wait!

Macro of Tulip Keukenhof

Macro of Tulip Keukenhof

We would soon be boarding our practically brand new Viking Longship called “Tor”. And it had only just been christened in Amsterdam one short month ago. Indeed, Viking had evidently broken all records on March 20, 2013 when they’d christened a total of 10 brand new Longships on the same day. This was reported to be on the back of them having also christened an incredible 8 Longships the previous year in 2012. I believe they’re now striving to break their own record yet again in 2014, when they hope to christen a further 14 Longships.

The world is obviously  hooked on cruising…or so it would appear. Only having to unpack the once as you travel luxuriously through the meandering waterways and in and out of so many different countries certainly adds to the appeal for us.

Viking makes no secret of the fact that they are hoping to introduce a total of 100 new Longships by 2020. They evidently have more and more people seeking to cruise through Europe than ever before.

As a lead up to this exciting Holiday (my very first holiday in Europe), dearly beloved and I had already been surfing, bookmarking and watching many of the Viking promotional videos as well as the Longship christening ceremonies of 2012 and 2013. Isn’t the internet such a wonderful medium (when its working properly that is!) It makes it just so easy to get all the information you could ever possibly want within the comfort of your own home. (I’ve actually included some of the Viking promotional video links here for anyone who, like myself, would like to pursue a little armchair travelling.)

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More Tulips Keukenhof

More Tulips Keukenhof

I often try to include links to interesting videos, Wikipedia Information and many other major tourist destination websites in my blogs. I do this especially for those of you who might enjoy the comfort of the armchair travel scene. I myself often love to travel to the other side of the globe and back without having to even leave my street let alone the country.

Anyway for today’s blog I’m simply posting the very last of my favourite photos from our sightseeing in and around Amsterdam and the beautiful Keukenhof Garden. I hope you like some of them as well! I’d really love to hear which ones happen to appeal to you the most and perhaps why. Drop me a line …… let me know.

Amsterdam- National Maritime Museum

Amsterdam- National Maritime Museum

Amsterdam Maritime Museum

Amsterdam Maritime Museum

Globe at National Maritime Museum

Globe at National Maritime Museum

Amsterdam Pancake Boat -Yummy

Amsterdam Pancake Boat -Yummy

NEMO Science Centre

NEMO Science Centre

NEMO Science Centre in Amsterdam

NEMO Science Centre in Amsterdam

NEMO Science Centre - Amsterdam

NEMO Science Centre – Amsterdam

Beetles Exhibit Keukenhof

Beetles Exhibit Keukenhof

Related articles
  • Viking Increases Its Longships Order to 14 Vessels (USA) (worldmaritimenews.com)
  • Viking River Cruises Host To A Surprising Mix Of Cruise Travelers (chriscruises.com)
  • Viking on the Mississippi in 2015? (o.canada.com)
  • 8 Memorable things to do while visiting Amsterdam (goldenthoughtspot.com)
  • Keukenhof Garden – A Kaleidoscope of Spring colour (kidazzleink.com)
  • From Austria to The Netherlands – From Mozart’s country to the land of the tulips (kidazzleink.com)

Willet-Holthuysen Canal House – A window into the past

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Budapest, Holidays, Time flies when you're globe trotting and river cruising, Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Amsterdam, Back in time, Bad Gastein, Canal Home, Gem, Tardis, Willet-Holthuysen Museum, Window on the past

“Windows on the past strengthen our understanding of the present and
   act as a guide for our decision making well into the future.”

– KidazzleInk, 2013.

Windows on the Past

Windows on the Past

In an earlier blog entitled “Bad Gastein – R n R in the Hohe Tauern National Park”, I  talked bout how you can sometimes be lucky enough to turn up a real “GEM”, even when you’re just muddling through with your own passionate, yet haphazard, “Seek and Discover” system for identifying preferred sightseeing hot spots.

Well yes….BINGO! We’d now found TWO SUCH GEMS and both during the same journey through Europe. First there’d been beautiful little Bad Gastein and now, here we were at this interesting 16th Century Manor Home called Willet-Holthuysen Museum.

Ceiling probably painter by Jacob de Wit

Ceiling probably painter by Jacob de Wit

And we’d literally just stumbled upon it …. what a surprising little “find” it turned out to be! Like many people, we usually spend way too much precious time trying to sort through the chaff from the wheat, so that we can make the most of our precious sightseeing and locate the finest of what’s on offer. For Amsterdam, we’d already been through this somewhat extensive exercise and yet still carefully selected many of the usual Amsterdam activities (because they are just so good). Unfortunately, we’d been unable (well perhaps that should read…. unwilling to ….negotiate the extremely long queues required) to see either the Anne Frank House or the newly opened Rijk’s Museum.

So initially, knowing nothing at all about the treasures that lay within this manor home museum, we casually paid the minimal fee (no long queues here, no precious hours spent waiting), grabbed our “oh so convenient”, English Audio Tour Guides and ambled very sleepily off to begin exploring.

Let me just say we got way more than we were expecting! The historical treasures and memories cocooned within these walls were a truly remarkable surprise! My dearly beloved and I still continue to talk about this delightful experience and the historical charm of the home.

Beautiful Clock

Beautiful Clock

Willet-Holthuysen Museum boasts a quality fine art collection and an historical art library, an eclectic range of historical furnishings, beautiful silverware and antique German porcelain as well as Venetian glassware collections. But the absolute best part of all this, is presentation…it is all so well presented and maintained, with a lot of it’s historical tales still intact. We initially thought that he home was completely original. However, on further review, we find it was largely refurbished with a rather eclectic range of original pieces from the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries.

Art works everywhere!

Art works everywhere!

Yet the home is made even more interesting by the fact that it also provides an historical window into the private lives of the rich and affluent in Amsterdam in the 19th Century. We enjoyed the traditional neo-classical ambiance and learnt so much about this grand era. We were able to wonder through the old tiled kitchen, the ballroom, the “Blue Room” (Men’s Room), an enormous pantry, bedroom, sitting room, formal dining room, drawing room, garden room, hallways, stairwells and so much more. It was an amazing four floors of Manor Home, three of which were open to the public.

The Garden Room

The Garden Room

We’d felt like we’d been transported back in time!

And you know….. I didn’t even see that “Dr Who Chariot” outside anywhere…. Errrr, I think I mean “Tardis” (well you know the time-transport thingy anyway). I know it just has to have been out there waiting somewhere near this wonderful home; just waiting to beam us way back into the past as we crossed the threshold… way back an amazing couple of hundred years or so ago! Yes i must have been there….or how else could we have had a time warp experience such as this??

Red Room

Red Room

But on a more serious note, for those of us who do like to explore the history and stimulate  our “grey matter” (aka cerebral connections and synapses), here are a few of this home’s details:

The Willet-Holthuysen Home is thought to have been built around the 1680s for a Mr Jacob Hop, the then Mayor of Amsterdam. Later of course, it was bought by the young Louisa Holthuysen’s Father. Shortly after he passed away, Louisa finally married her beau Abraham Willet. It is said that  Louisa’s father never actually wanted to give his blessings to this marriage. However, despite this, Louisa and Abraham (who had been quite serious sweethearts for a long time prior to old Mr Holthuysen’s passing) went on to spend many years together as husband and wife. They carefully restored the old family home and amassed the most wonderful collection of art work and  European treasure.

Meet the Willet-Holthuysens

Meet the Willet-Holthuysens

I’ve recently read that they may also have owned another equally luxurious residence in France… However, I’m not quite sure about this. All I can say is that their Amsterdam home was most remarkable. We just loved it. What a wonderful sightseeing GEM and a lovely little window into the past!

The Blue Room

The Blue Room

The Formal Dining Room

The Formal Dining Room

The Grand Bedroom

The Grand Bedroom

Going up the Stairwell

Seen from the Stairwell

Related articles
  • Bad Gastein – R & R in the Hohe Tauern National Park (kidazzleink.com)
  • Amsterdam – Day 3 (thatoneguywhotravels.wordpress.com)
  • Amsterdam – Day 2 (thatoneguywhotravels.wordpress.com)

Madame Tussauds – Photographing the stars.

06 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam, Holidays, Madam Tussauds, Uncategorized

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Tags

Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, Coronation, Dam Square, Danube, Madame Tussaud, Netherlands

Strangely, I’d felt a wee bit like a Paparazzi that day….but there was certainly going to be no stopping me!

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This was my very first (and most likely my very last) opportunity to photograph celebrities at such close range. And “WOW”, I seem to recall there were just so many of them all in the one place! I could see Royalty, Prime Ministers, Scientists, Famous Historical Faces, Sporting Aces, Religious Figures, Hollywood Starlets, Supermodels and Rock Stars everywhere I looked that day. Had it all been for real I know I would have considered myself to be way out of my personal comfort zone!!

1-nef  260620120439

Anyway, it wasn’t for real, and I have to admit to feeling a little excited by the prospect of spending time amongst these replicas of the sparkling glitterati (even if they were only of a plastic variety). I’d managed to convince my dearly beloved that this could be an interesting way to while away an hour or two. He actually even seemed to be in favour of the idea himself. So with the decision made we’d headed back towards the Dam Square in the centre of the City. We’d been trying to make the most of our last couple of days in the Netherlands, just pursuing some of our lighter touristy type interests, before embarking on our long-awaited Viking River Cruise.

The Female Stars

The Female Stars

For today our first choice had been the convenience of a Hop On, Hop Off bus! This way, we’d hoped to gain a slightly different perspective of Amsterdam to the one we’d enjoyed the previous day as we’d travelled through the beautiful canals and the IJ.

Somehow (don’t ask how) we’d managed to arrive safely in-front of the old brick building, Madame Tussauds. We’d narrowly been missed by cars and trams and then also by millions and zillions of bikes! You know, back home here in Australia (aka in the world down under/God’s own country), we’ve really only ever had to worry about being missed by big things like cars and trucks….even then I’m told pedestrians in Australia still have the right of way! (Not that I’m likely to be testing that assumption any time soon. I sort of like being in just one piece!)

Anyway, let me say that the intensity of the traffic around Amsterdam City was somewhat challenging….there was always a lot to watch out for ….and just so so many bicycles. At times, it felt like we were physically crossing up to three main roads all at once. YES THREE…first there were the buses and cars just like we have here at home, then there were the trams and finally after that there were still the thousands of bikes to watch out for!

Yikes…and each of them appeared to be really merciless towards poor strangling, geographically-challenged, pedestrian tourists such as us.

Anne Frank

Anne Frank

Earlier that same morning we’d already tried to visit the historical Anne Frank House. Sadly the queues had been just too off-putting (well over an hour of waiting we’d been told) and that was fairly early in the day. So in the interests of saving time, we’d thought it best to give it a miss for now. Maybe we could try again another day.

Madam Tussauds

Madame Tussauds

So we’d made our way through the crowds to Madame Tussauds. We’d arrived right in the centre of Amsterdam. And it was actually a kind of special time. Dam Square and the Tussauds building (like much of the rest of Amsterdam at this time) were adorned with the most enormous flags and crowns and other quite royal regalia. On arrival a couple of days earlier, we’d learnt that the Coronation of King Willem-Alexander was about to take place in just a couple of days – April 30, 2013 to be precise. Crowds had been building in preparation for the royal event; and there’d been heaps of folk everywhere you looked. We would have liked to have stayed for the coronation too, but unfortunately we’d had to miss it. By then we were already travelling on….sailing down the mighty Danube and on through Germany and Austria to Slovakia and finally into Budapest.

But for this day, neither of us had ever been to a Madame Tussauds before. So we decided to enjoy the moment and just look around at all of the interesting characters on display. I’m glad to say neither of us were disappointed by our visit. It was quite amazing how life-like some of these waxy figures appeared to be.

And of course, for me, it was just another photographer’s paradise… After all, I was photographing some of the most AMAZINGLY COOPERATIVE MODELS I’d ever tried to capture….there was no grumbling, no moaning, no “can we stop smiling now”, and no blinking at the wrong time by any of them. HOW EASY CAN IT BE? We both spent an interesting hour or two acquainting ourselves with all the historical figures and learning heaps more Hollywood trivia.

As we were leaving we stumbled upon a most interesting “Amsterdam Street Artist”.  Take a look below…he was oh so cool and hip in his shiny silver suit. He sat, or should I say stood, in the most unusual and unnatural position for what seemed an eternity. Of course I had to get a photo of him too. I nicknamed him “Amsterdam’s Newest Star!” Unlike all the other stars we’d already seen that day, he was absolutely 100% for real. How he managed to stay in that very strange and unusual half sitting/half standing position I’ll never know. Maybe some of you might have an idea or two…Let me know if you have any inkling regarding how it is done??

Amsterdam's Newest Star

Amsterdam’s Newest Star

Related articles
  • Anne Frank figure joins Madame Tussauds gallery in Vienna (jta.org)
  • Madame Tussauds Unveils Steve Jobs In Wax (iphonesavior.com)
  • Amsterdam – Venice in Northern Europe (kidazzleink.com)
  • British songstress Adele immortalised at Madame Tussauds – AFPTV (ashleyabroadinlondon.wordpress.com)

Amsterdam – Venice in Northern Europe

04 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Budapest, Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Amsterdam, Australia, Boat, Canal, Holland, Labyrinth, Netherlands, Relaxing, Some days are Diamonds, Venice of the North

Hop on Hop off Canal Boat Amsterdam

Hop on Hop off Canal Boat Amsterdam

“Life’s like a Labyrinth…..always a beginning, always an end. In-between, there lies
before each of us, a truly intriguing maze of interconnected experiences and
influential relationships; But really it is all up to us.  We CAN choose.

We need to carefully navigate our own boat through all of life’s ups and downs.

Sometimes we may veer off course and steer down dry gullies, row up dead end
creeks. At other times we’ll sail around in lovely tranquil bays.  Occasionally,
we’ll have storms to battle; sometimes we’ll venture into bright, and maybe even
diamond days. Just be thankful for the journey and a chance to steer your boat.
Always navigate well, consider all your options carefully and try not to mope
or dwell!

Musings of KidazzleInk, 2013

Remember to steer your boat well

Always steer your boat well

We were now in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam to be precise, which is also often known as the “Venice of Northern Europe“.

We were trying to consider our newly presented options carefully…..trying to make the most of opportunities before us. But I must admit we were also both somewhat tired and travel weary.

After all we had just spent the past few days going from place to place. We’d been rushing here, rushing there, driving on the wrong side of the road, running late, getting lost, battling a new Sat Nav,  negotiating the electronic airline ticket dispense stations, carrying too much luggage and moving between our travel destinations. All so hectic…well yes!!

We’d now moved on from that exhilarating first leg of our European journey, through the enchanting Bavarian region and the oh so beautiful Austria.

For now were hoping to spend the next few days acquainting ourselves with the Netherlands before we started our amazing Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise. We both really wanted to explore this historical, yet modern canal-city called Amsterdam that we’d recently been reading about it back home in Australia.

However, I’m afraid we were also travel weary; you probably know the feeling…… it’s like you need just one rejuvenating day….. “a diamond day” ….to rest, to reflect, to rejuvenate and consider all the new options. Oh for such a perfect day!

With only three and a half days to explore this interesting “Venice of the North”, we wondered how best to make good use of our days. We wanted to be able to relax and yet to be able to see plenty of the city at the same time!!

Amsterdam Canals

Amsterdam Canals

The lovely receptionists back at our hotel (Holiday Inn Express) had thankfully told us about the cost advantages of buying a ‘Holland Pass’. It seemed like a really good option and I have to say we weren’t disappointed. In fact we even ended up buying a second one before we left. Everything was cheaper with this pass. It was also great to have the little book that we could flick through to help us with all of Amsterdam’s sightseeing options.

Well first choice for us today was going to be relaxing one way or another, so we opted for lazing in the labyrinth of Amsterdam’s historical canals. What a great way to see Amsterdam……from its interesting web of convoluted waterways. And the bonus was…… well ….there was really  little effort required on our part.

Hop On, Hop Off Canal Boats

Hop On, Hop Off Canal Boats

Lot’s of R & R (Yes! rest and relaxation).

Lovely Spring Leaf

Lovely Spring Leaf

We could actually spend hours meandering our way through the geography, landmarks, history and culture of this modern canal city. And all from the comfort of our little Hop on, Hop Off canal boats. “Just perfect we thought. We’ll only have to get off about once every hour or so and change boats. After all, that shouldn’t require too much effort should it!!”

Just imagine our surprise when we found that we didn’t even have to get off at all. At the end of each of the routes (Red route, Green route, Blue route and Orange route through the maze of Amsterdam’s canals, the captain of the boat would just change his little coloured sign.……then the Red route would actually became the Green route, which would then become the Blue route, which would then become the Orange route and so on). Now how gentile was this for the travel weary.

All we had to do was simply supply ourselves with some lunch at one of the stops which might I add, my dearly beloved did admirably in-between route change-overs at around 1.00pm.

Historic Building in Amsterdam

Historic Building in Amsterdam

We saw so much of Amsterdam City that day from it’s labyrinth of relaxing canals.

We could have chosen to hop off and then hop back on wherever we wished, but just for now, we were oh so happy to simply soak up the atmosphere of this Dutch capital from it’s maze of waterways. We learnt much about the history, the culture and the landmarks of the city without even leaving the canals that day. It was truly a “Diamond day“ for us.  A time when everything came together so well and even with so  little forethought or prior planning!

An Enormous pair of Dutch Clogs

An Enormous pair of Dutch Clogs

Resident tending his houseboat.

Resident tending his houseboat.

Related articles
  • Amsterdam… The city of canals and bicycles – Amsterdam, Netherlands (travelpod.com)
  • Cruising the canals of Amsterdam (4wallaces.wordpress.com)

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