Germany again

We are back in Germany.   And back to reality.  After four weeks of being in a cashless econonmy, where paying by card was the norm, it was a shock to find that our card would not work in the campsite, German cards only. Luckily Walter had just enough Euros to pay the camping fees.  

We then went out to find a money machine, and to buy some diesel.  Luckily we were able to get cash, but the petrol station would only take German cards. Has this country, and the Netherlands too, not seen the progress that has been made, close to their shores.

I am sitting outside the office at the camping ground, which is the only place that I can access wifi.   I am sitting in the car, as it is raining outside.   I need to keep up with all the news on Facebook.   And to write my blog of course.

However it is a lovely campsite.  We stayed here at the beginning of our holiday.  It is just outside Hamburg.

 Most of the pitches are seasonal ones, and there is a restaurant and swimming pool.  And at the end of the camping area, there are horse stables.  Most surprising.

 There were great reflections on the two small lakes, this evening.  Very picturesque.   No manure perfume pervading the camping area this time.

 The fishermen looked very peaceful.

We had a mixed day.  First we could not hitch the caravan to the car, due to the lose hitch lock pad, which then became stuck.  But not straight.  Luckily Walter was eventually able to prise the pad out.  So we were short of a pad.  It did not seem to make too much difference to the towing stability.  We provided plenty of entertainment for the grim man in the caravan across the road, who watched but did not say a word or offer to help.

We then drove via country roads, through the lovely countryside until we eventually came to the motorway.  The land became flatter as we approached Germany.  The weather was warm and sunny.  Great for travelling.  Unfortunately there were road works for the last 70 kms, so that part was slow going.

Tomorrow we will drive the last part back to the Netherlands.   Looking forward to seeing the family again.  And I think we could have some darkness tonight.  Great for sleeping.  Plus rain pattering on the roof.

Denmark - A beautiful country

What a surprise today, as we drove 300 kms, from just below Skagen, all grasses and sand dunes, to Skamlingsbanken, on the coast below Kolding.  Kolding is beside the E45, just past the turnoff on the E20 to Copenhagen.   After the grasses and sand dunes, came the most beautiful countryside.   Heavily wooded, hilly and green.

 We were so surprised to see hills as we expected flat countryside, similar to the Netherlands.   The motorway ran through undulating countryside, with woodland consisting of birch and beech trees, and some pastoral land, crops and dairy farms.   No acres of pine trees either, as there was in Sweden.   No photographs sadly, as I was too busy driving or admiring the scenery.

We are now Gonninghoved Strand Camping, quite a nice camping ground, but very busy, as Danish schools started their holidays today.

 We arrived at 3 pm just as everyone was out walking or heading to the swimming pool, so extra care had to be taken not to run anyone over.

The corner into our road was very sharp, and I had to reverse back along the road, so that I could swing out more, without hitting anyone of course or collecting the hedge on the corner. Then I reversed the caravan onto the site without a problem.   I am definitely improving.

However the man opposite us, obviously did not trust me.   He came out and stood in front of his buggy and trailer, to protect them.  Talk about looking daggers at us.  I took this photograph after he went back inside.  He was lucky I did not include him in the photograph.

 We went for a walk down to the beach, which according to the photos in the brochure should have sparkling blue water, but not today.  It was too overcast.   It had a lovely sandy beach. Walter was in the photograph in  order to add a bit of interest to a very grey photograph.   A much improved prhotograph.

 There were an assortment of holiday homes by the beach.   These two were very cute.  They love their flagpoles in this country.  No flags today.  Obviously they only fly them when here is someone in the house.

 We then walked around the campsite to check out the caravans on seasonal pitches, that is, they are here all summer.   Some of the awnings contained dining tables and chairs plus lounge suites.   All the awnings were on boarded floors and were very secure.  But ordinary awnings, all the same.

Pan fried hot dogs wrapped in bacon for dinner tonight.   We love them, as do the people in Scandinavia.

Two pieces of information which I forgot to add in previous blogs.  Karen Blixen (1885-1962) wrote Out of Africa, while she was staying in a hotel in Skagen.  Also the wife of Crown Prins Frederik, the heir to the throne in Denark, is Australian born.  Her name was Mary Donaldson.  They were married in 2004 and have four children.  We saw their photographs when we visited the palace in Copenhagen.

So on that note it is time to head off to bed.  No sunsets tonight.  I wonder if we have any darkness.  We are 300 kms further south.

Fantastic weather in Skagen

Perfect weather here today.   Warm enough for Walter to wear shorts and me to dispense with a thick jacket.  The first really warm day in five weeks.   Time for a celebration.

We even took out sunhats with us.  Plus warm jackets, just in case. We had been caught once before.  

All ready to leave, destination sunny Skagen.

First stop, the museum.  Brand new, and showing a collection of paintings by artists who lived here, or at least spent their summers here, from around 1880 to 1930.   Some of their houses are now open to the public to visit.

The paintings were plein-air, that is, painted outdoors and on the actual location.

They also depicted life in Skagen, and the wonderful soft light.  It was very good, and I guess we should have gone on to view the artists houses.

But we saw a cafe opposite the museum, which looked promising.  Delicious, and freshly cooked pastries, plus excellent coffee for Walter and a lemon drink for me.

We sat in the sun, and it was glorious.

That was the end of the photographs for the day.  I forgot to take anymore.  The day continued to be warm, and I believe the temperature reached 17 degrees.  We even wore our hats at lunchtime.

We chose crumbed deep fried fish plus chips for lunch.  Plaice or sole.  We were not really sure, sometimes things get lost in the translation but were told that it was locally caught fish, frozen of course.  We could have eaten all types of exotic fresh or cooked fish dishes, but we really yearned for fish with chips.  And they were very good, much better than anything  in England.

After that we went for a circular drive, through the countryside, south of here, plus a stop at Aldi to stock up on groceries for the next few days.  A very pleasant drive.

I forgot to say we visited a Skagen jewellery shop, which was next to the cafe.  Just a quick look, we thought, and half an hour later Walter walked out with a new Skagen watch, a designer watch, very flat, thin and lightweight.  A dress watch rather than an everyday watch.   Not to be used for hitching up the caravan.

Skagen watches are Danish designed, to show the coast line, the sea and the meeting of two seas in northern Denmark.  The company was named after the town of Skagen.   It is now owned by an American company, although the directors are still Danish, as are the designs.  Amazingly the watches are moderately priced, and the price of Walter's watched had been reduced by 30%.

Just to finish off.  The buildings in Skagen used to be red brick or painted red, but the bricks and the red paint did not weather well.  So someone came up with the idea of rendering the worst of the walls, and using yellow paint instead of red paint.  It has worked brilliantly apparently.  

As we drove around town we thought there must be more than 30 permanent residents in Skagen, which is how the brochure described the town.  Thank goodness for the internet!   As at January 2014 there were 8060 residents in Skagen.  I think I need to correct the publishers of the brochure.

And Skagen is pronounced as 'skayen'.  The 'g' is so soft it is hardly pronounced.

Tomorrow we are off again, south, to very warm weather.  Not sure how we will cope with 25 to 30 degree temperatures in the Netherlands, after all this chilly weather.

And tonight will be the last night of the neverending sunset.  Tomorrow night, south Denmark.

At the seaside in Skagen

The light is amazing here, bright and luminous but soft as well.  A combination of the far north light, and the reflection from the sea on both sides of a narrow piece of land.

Even at 11.15 pm last night there was a soft light shining in the west, and when I got up at 1.30 am to go to the loo, the light had not dimmed.   I decided sleep was more important then watching the same light appear in the east in a few hours.  It was tempting to stay awake though. Although there was always half light in Norway,  it did not have the same effect as here, due to the sun setting behind the mountains.

After a big clean up this morning, washing done, caravan and car cleaned, it was time to set off to see Skagen, 13 kms north.  A town where the suppliers of yellow paint have done very well.

First the harbour.  Fishing has always been the main source of income here, and the harbour is still Denmark's largest port.  The harbour also has many leasure boats too, and I believe that some cruise liners call into the port.

A scene from the mediterranean!   Very similiar, the same yachts and the same bright light reflecting off the water,   Quite a difference in temperature though.  It was about 14 degrees, with a very chilly wind taking the warmth out of the sun.

There were fish restaurants lining two sides of this part of the port.  Our destination for lunch tomorrow.  Quite reasonably priced too.

After lookng around the harbour and restaurants we headed into the main shopping area.

There are only about 30 permanent residents that live here all year round.  That is what the brochure says, but in fact there are 8,000 permanent residents.  I looked it up on the internet.  There are also many regulars who own houses here, which boosts the local population somewhat.   Skargen has a very holiday atmosphere, as it is a very popular place to come for a holiday.  It is a very charming place.

One of the many cafes.  It was strange to see people sitting outside in the sun, and wearing jackets and fleeces.   A determined lot.

There were plenty of clothing and shoe stores.  Walter bought a heavy duty fleece jacket, all ready for when we return from Australia, next January.  Best to be prepared. It was from an outlet shop, selling outdoor gear at greatly reduced prices.

Just for you, Patrick.  There was even a Gant shop there.

Some of the houses have painted the edging tiles white.  Very cute.

A beautiful church, surrounded by pristine gardens.

We stopped at a sweet shop and watched two men rolling out the mixture for sweets that were like the English rock sweets.  Walter bought a bag of assorted sweets.  Not good for our teeth, I know.

 Next stop, Grenen, which is about a two kilometre drive to the very northern point, where two seas meet. After parking the car, we set off through the sandhills, past old WWII bunkers, and onto the beach, where we walked for about a kilometre until we came to the sandy point.  It felt like a gale was blowing, and cold too.

 'Land's End' where the two seas meet, Skagerrak and Kattegat.   Just a few kms out in the Skagerrak sea, the water was about 400 metres deep, but on this spit the water was very shallow.  Many ships have run aground over the centuries, on this shallow tongue, with a terrible loss of life, for both crews and the people who tried to rescue them.  There were numerous signs warning people not to enter the water.

We do not normally take 'selfies' but who could resist on this stretch of beach, so we joined the other 'selfie' photographers.  The wind was so strong it was difficult to stand still long enough to take a photograph, but it was fun.

The 'selfie' windblown photograph.

More sand.  Only this time we were at the giant sand dune at Rabjerg Mile, not far from the camping ground, which also had the same name.  This sand dune, 1000m long and 1000m wide, and about 40 metres high at its highest point, migrates north-north east at a rate of more than 15metres a year.  A giant moving sand dune.

Walter looking in amazemnt at such a spectacle.   Denmark's Sahara Desert.

The sand dune was formed on the west coast in the 16th century during the great sand migration in this area.  Over the centuries erosion of the sand hills and moving sand dunes were quite a problem for the people who lived here.  Finally in the 1950s the government bought land so that this particular sand dune could stay the same, but they planted grass and trees as a cover on the remainder of the dunes.

There is a scientific explanation for the moving of the dunes, with the wind blowing the sand, which then moves and reforms again.

I decided to walk to the top, no easy feat, in soft sand and a strong wind blowing sand in my face.  It was amazing how quickly footprints disappeared from the sand.

 The view across the dune, with no sea in sight anywhere.  Amazingly there were patches of very wet sand up there.

 We drove along the road for a short distance just to check that there was a sea somewhere and found a very wild looking sea.  According to the sign people were allowed to drive vehicles onto this beach, but not for us, not in our beautiful car.

And our beautiful car has a big dent in the driver's door.  Someone must have got into the car next to us in the carpark at Grenan, and the force of the wind caught the door and it hit our car.   What a pain.

And as I finish this blog, I can see that the sun has set, leaving behind a soft orange glow in the sky.  Nothing spectacular, but beautiful all the same.

A cruise, and goodbye Sweden

This morning I decided to wear a pair of white trousers, a light blue blouse and a dark blue lightweight jacket.  I was going on a cruise so needed to dress appropriately.  And hopefully the next destination was going to be sunny and warm. 

White was not a great colour to wear when attending to caravanning duties, such as emptying the grey water container, lowering the steadies and hooking up the electrical cable to the car.   And I needed to wear a coat as it was not particularly warm.

We have enjoyed our time in Sweden, before and after Norway.  But after Norway, we appreciated the lower costs, especially in the food line.   It was great to buy a cup of coffee, without robbing a bank to do so.   Sweden appeared to have a more relaxed lifestyle.  But that could be just our impression.   People in both countries were very friendly and helpful.  

But onto our cruise, on the Stena Line, the Jutlandica.

All dressed for the occasion, but a bit cold for a light weight blue jacket.  I needed my  down jacket, up there in the wind.

We decided against the buffet, lovely setting, up top, at the front of the ship.  Too much food.  We decided to sit with most of the other passengers, on the next level down.  It was very busy, with lots of Swedish children, who have been on holiday for the past two weeks.

We bought a seafood salad each.  It was delicious.

Looking down on a very small tourist boat, similar to the one we were on, on Monday.  No doubt heading to the Volvo museum.  We passed the Stena Link ferry at exactly the same time.

A photograph of some of the many trucks down below in the hold.

It was a very pleasant trip, even with the noisy children around us.  It took nearly an hour to get out of the Gota  Alv, the Gothenburg estuary/river, and then two hours to sail across the sea to Denmark.

The port of Frederikshavn, Denmark.

We then travelled 40 km on a single lane carriageway to Skagen, at the most northern tip of Denmark.   Very flat countryside.

The camping ground is called Rabjerbmile Camping.   A very large camping ground, with the pitches set out in circles.  Excellent facilities with an indoor swimming pool as well.  Each site is sheltered on three sides with a thick hedge. An ACSI site, and as it is still not the tourist season yet, we have a site for a greatly reduced price, about £16 per night.

The sun is shining, but still not warm enough for a blouse and lightweight jacket.  I now have a fleece on, with the white trousers.

We are here to see the magnificent light, which has attracted artists here over the years, the spit of sand where two seas meet, and the shifting sandhill.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Gothenburg, the old town

The old town?   Not really in terms of 'really old' as the original wooden buildings were either burnt down, there were nine major fires between 1669 and 1804, or replaced over the years.   But the area we were walking around in, certainly had some significant old buildings, plus very upmarket shopping streets.   And it was surrounded by a very old canal, designed and engineered by the Dutch in the 17th century.   

First stop, The Market Hall (Saluhallen), full of delicacies, cured meats, fresh meat, cakes, cheeses and many other items.   It was also a place where one could buy food for lunch and eat it there.   We have been to a similar market somewhere else on our journeys, almost an identical market, but we cannot remember where.   Gold star to whichever of us eventually remembers.

Walter looking particularly happy in this great food hall.

I bought 100 grams of tea flavoured with lemon, and 100 grams of tea flavoured with ginger.    Lucy left me a packet of Whittards tea flavoured with honey, which I have really enjoyed so thought I would continue along the same lines.

Of course we stopped for a latte, plus apple crumble for me, and blueberry crumble for Walter, both topped with vanilla custard.   And it was not even lunchtime.   But delicious, very much so.

The next stop was the Stadsmuseum, based in the 18th century former headquarters of the Swedish East India Company.

Another Viking ship, sadly the base only, but it was Sweden's only original Viking ship.   Apologies for the blured photograph, it was very dark in the room.

The musueum was very well organised, starting with prehistory information and artifacts, and continuing on throughout the centuries until the 19th century.  There were information boards plus artifacts and exhibits, just enough to keep one interested without suffering from overload.

The inside of the building was also remarkable.  I loved the hall and staircases in the photograph below.

The Goteborg Cathedral, a Lutheran Church, built in the Classicism style, and opened in 1827.  The previous three churches burned down.   A very imposing building,

with an even more imposing interior, which comprised of neo classical architecture,    And plenty of marble.    The organ seen in the photograph below was installed in 1967.    

On the theme of churches.   Feskekorka Fish Market was built in 1874 to resemble a church.   It was meant to symbolise Gothenburgers' almost religious relationship with the delicacies the sea provides.  In fact the building has been consecrated and people get married there.

Inside the fish hall, full of fish of course, all looking delicious and fresh.   Unfortunately we had eaten a huge lunch at the museum, so were not even tempted to try anything.  There were two restaurants here, plus plenty of takeaway sea food salads which could be eaten at one of the wooden tables outside.  

A Music Festival is currently taking place, in one of the parks, I think.   Bands and marching competitions too.   The bands and marching girls paraded through the town today, and some of them were very good.   There were plenty of medals displayed on the fronts of uniforms.

The oldest building in Gothenburg, the old city hall (Kronhuset), built in 1654.  

There was quite a significant influence on the development of Gothenburg during the 17th century from the Dutch immigrants and merchants.  They had the skills to build a city on the marshy land.  The language during the 17th century was actually Dutch.

These classical buildings, probably 18th century, lined one of the canals.

Another really enjoyable day.    Just wandering around the streets, and looking at buildings, and shops.    Nothing rushed.   We love these days.

Gothenburg, a day at the port, plus a sailing race

A day at the port of Gothenburg, not planned, but sometimes it all works out for the best.   We certainly did not have a boring day.   And we made it to the Volvo Museum.   

Before I continue, I must return to the weekend, Midsummer celebrations.   Very important in Sweden.  The main celebration takes place on the 19th June.   A public holiday, I think.  But the celebrations continued for the remainder of the weekend.   And everything closed, even restaurants.  Luckily we were not in Gothenburg.   

Back to today.   The weather was glorious this morning, and we ventured out without jackets.   Our destination was the port, from where we could take a boat to the Volvo Museum.   We walked along the seafront, lots of boat excursions, but no signs for the Volvo Museum.   But plenty to look at though, so we were not feeling too desperate at this state.   

We did wonder why people were heading towards the edge of the port, where there appeared to be small boat races taking place.   Pink SCA signs everywhere, and also painted on the footpath, free ferry to the Volvo Ocean Race.   Meant nothing to us.   Talk about being ignorant.

We turned towards the shopping centre, where we knew there was a Tourist Centre.   A shopping centre with a difference.   Instead of knocking down buildings to build a shopping centre, they have pedestrianised streets, and then covered them over, so the street signs are still there, but people are protected from the weather, while they shop.   Very clever.

After being directed back down to the port, we found that we had actually walked past the very small sign earlier on.   A confusion then occurred over the tickets, and we realised that we needed to buy tickets which included the Maritime Museum as well.  

At long last, after two hours of accidental port sightseeing, we finally boarded an old excursion boat, part of the museum, which was run by two very friendly people.

I look happy, and no wonder.   A lovely comfortable seat at the front of the boat.

The old port of Gothenburg used to be a major port.   I wonder how often these cranes are used now?

 A port side view of the power station, we think.

The ferry to Denmark, which we will take on Wednesday.

And what was this?  Yes, the end of the Volvo Ocean Race.   The winner of this section of the race, together with the flotilla of small boats, accompanying it into the harbour.  And we had a perfect view from our boat.   It was exciting.

Of course, we had no idea, until we had asked one of the ferry staff earlier on, about why so many people were lining the side of the port, and carrying pink flags.  

The next three yachts appeared closely behind the winner, but the flotilla of supporting boats had mostly left.    The wake from the large number of boats made our boat really rock around.   A little scary.

The cruise took one hour, which left us with an hour to visit the Volvo Museum, and to catch a glimpse of an important Swedish icon, the Volvo car, the car built for people who wished to have a 'safe' car.   As well as learning about how the Volvo became the car with the 'safe' repetution, we also learnt that Volvo was now owned by a Chinese company, obviously the only people with money to do so.   I hope they keep up the 'safe car' standard.

The first Volvo, built about 1925.

 There was a very large hall, devoted to the Volvo Ocean Race, which was once called the Whitbread Ocean Race, before Volvo took the race over.    The yacht race, a world wide one, takes nine months, and covers 39,000 nautical miles, visiting quite a few countries along the way.   Auckland being one of them, but nowhere in Australia.   A tough race.   Goteborg was the final destination, and celebrations have been planned for this week.

 We spent such a long time looking at the exhibition about the Volvo Ocean Race, that we had to skim over the rest of the Volvo Museum, which was a pity as the truck section was especially good.

The classic Volvo estate car, circa early 1970s.

 The white Volvo used in the television series, the Saint.   Only us oldies will remember the series.

Another hour on the water, but no more yachts, just plenty of naval and police boats, plus one or two pleasure yachts waiting on yet another yacht to appear.   The people waiting on the sides of the port had all disappeared, even though the Swedish yacht had not arrived.

As we now had tickets for the Maritime Museum, by default, we visited the collection of old naval boats, a merchant boat, a tug and a fire boat, all joined together, with gangplanks between each boat.

This photograph was taken earlier in the day, when the sun was shining.  

 By 3 p.m. it was threatening rain, and it certainly did so, when we were on this warship.   The guns on it looked very nasty.

 Walter sheltering under this sunshade, and trying to look cheerful, even though it was raining heavily.

 The models were decidedly spooky.   I jumped when I looked into a window and saw this sailor.   Was he dead?   No just a wax model dressed in a sailor's uniform.

 Walter down in the engine room.   Very steep ladders.    But lovely and warm, and dry.

 All in all it was a really interesting museum to visit, and we actually enjoyed it, despite the cold and wet weather.

We had an excellent view of the finishing line for the Volvo Ocean Race.   The Swedish yacht finally made it across the line, to much fanfare.  I did not have time to get my camera out, but it had pink sails.

I managed to capture this yacht, with full sails.

After such an interesting and busy day, we stopped for a cup of coffee and then headed home, first on a tram, and then on a bus.

Tomorrow we must remember to take our coats, even if the sun is shining.