Normandy
Brugge and Bryce at the Ice Bar
Brugge and Bryce at the Ice Bar
Poffertjies
We have been back from our last trip about two weeks now and have found it hard to find the time to update the blog, but here goes. Four weeks ago we flew to Stockholm in Sweden which was a lovely city and the capital of Scandinavia. We spent three days there enjoying the city. The slower pace to the city compared to London was a welcome change. The city was similar to a few places in Europe where there is a newer post war side of town compared to the old preserved medieval side of town with peaceful cobble stone undulating streets, featuring quaint cafes, restaurants and shops. Quite happy with that sentence. The highlight of the trip was a night at the Vodka ice bar which consisted of a choice of seventeen Absolut vodka cocktails served in frozen iceblock glasses. We had to dress in silver cloaks with white furry hoods and black snow gloves, quite attractive. The drinks were fantastic, but it was bloody cold. You could only spend about 30 minutes in there, before it became to cold.
After Sweden we flew back to London and connected to Amsterdam after a night at the airport. Sleeping over night in an airport is crap!!!!!!!!!! Once in Amsterdam we spent some entertaining times in the areas you spend when in Amsterdam. Watching blokes come and go and trying to look incognito is just funny. We hired some push bikes and road around the city along the canals which we’d earlier taken a relaxing river cruise along, and found some great local places in the city. Good pofferjies. Leaving Amsterdam by hire car we drove through Holland down to Belgium to stay in Brugge for the night. Once there we meet a guy at the hostel who was keen to show us the sights of the city, so we headed into town. Once there we watched a parade which only occurs every five years and we knew nothing about. The costumes and performances of the people were amazing. The city was fantastic so we decided to stay for an extra night. Although it was a city so close to the front line in both world wars it has been untouched for centuries and a real step back in history, great chocolates and Belgian waffles. At night the city was illuminated and we walked the old streets scoffing chocolates.
Leaving Brugge we travelled to many of the WW1 battlefields and cemeteries where Australian soldiers fought and died. Places such as Tyne Cot, Ieper’s, Paschendale and Polygon Wood. Beautiful, peaceful and fitting locations for such amazing people. The pictures of the battlefields and the stories of what the people endured during the war compared to county side we travelled through was an unbelievable contrast. From this point on the trip turned into a WW1 and WW2 education. Leaving Belgium we headed to Normandy in France. We stayed in a small seaside town (Bayeux) central to all five D-Day beaches. We drove down to Saint Mont Michel; an old Abbey built on an island with fantastic views of the Normandy country side and Atlantic Ocean.
Back in Bayeux we visited all the landing beaches and several museums. We spent time at the large American cemetery overlooking Omaha beach and saw the most amazing sunset over Point Du Hoc surrounded by destroyed German gun batteries and giant craters in the earth as a resolute of massive allied bombing runs on the morning of d-day. We spent time in many of the locations from ‘Band of Brothers’ following many of the soldiers stories from a book to actually being there for Bryce was a dream come true, and felt like we were living history. Knowing that we were standing on the locations (beaches) were such horrendous events occurred was not just eerie but thrilling (for Bryce anyway). Caitlin just like seeing a beach again and smelling sea air.
Driving ourselves through these countries was an experience in itself, giving us the choice to go our own direction at our own pace instead of a tour. Driving on the other side of the road was at times comical but so frustrating particularly in Belgium. We rarely noticed the change in the quality of the roads and lack of signage compared to Holland and France, although we got so lost in Versailles (grant palace and gardens) we some how got from the middle of the city into real slums then the countryside, some how we ended up on a motorway not knowing where we were until all of a sudden there was the Eiffel tower and a five lane double highway to the airport (About three times the size of Melbourne airport). As we approached the airport we missed all the signs to Budget hire car drop off and ended up in the basement of some car park when all of a sudden there is signs everywhere for Budget car drop offs. Just plan dumb luck. The stress of it was horrible and just as things seemed too deep; the light at the end of tunnel comes through. The beauty of travel.
It was a great trip with fantastic food, cheap french wine, experiences and history. Our next trip is to Berlin and Prague via Dresden from October 20th for a week, and will be looking forward to have some else drive us this time.
After Sweden we flew back to London and connected to Amsterdam after a night at the airport. Sleeping over night in an airport is crap!!!!!!!!!! Once in Amsterdam we spent some entertaining times in the areas you spend when in Amsterdam. Watching blokes come and go and trying to look incognito is just funny. We hired some push bikes and road around the city along the canals which we’d earlier taken a relaxing river cruise along, and found some great local places in the city. Good pofferjies. Leaving Amsterdam by hire car we drove through Holland down to Belgium to stay in Brugge for the night. Once there we meet a guy at the hostel who was keen to show us the sights of the city, so we headed into town. Once there we watched a parade which only occurs every five years and we knew nothing about. The costumes and performances of the people were amazing. The city was fantastic so we decided to stay for an extra night. Although it was a city so close to the front line in both world wars it has been untouched for centuries and a real step back in history, great chocolates and Belgian waffles. At night the city was illuminated and we walked the old streets scoffing chocolates.
Leaving Brugge we travelled to many of the WW1 battlefields and cemeteries where Australian soldiers fought and died. Places such as Tyne Cot, Ieper’s, Paschendale and Polygon Wood. Beautiful, peaceful and fitting locations for such amazing people. The pictures of the battlefields and the stories of what the people endured during the war compared to county side we travelled through was an unbelievable contrast. From this point on the trip turned into a WW1 and WW2 education. Leaving Belgium we headed to Normandy in France. We stayed in a small seaside town (Bayeux) central to all five D-Day beaches. We drove down to Saint Mont Michel; an old Abbey built on an island with fantastic views of the Normandy country side and Atlantic Ocean.
Back in Bayeux we visited all the landing beaches and several museums. We spent time at the large American cemetery overlooking Omaha beach and saw the most amazing sunset over Point Du Hoc surrounded by destroyed German gun batteries and giant craters in the earth as a resolute of massive allied bombing runs on the morning of d-day. We spent time in many of the locations from ‘Band of Brothers’ following many of the soldiers stories from a book to actually being there for Bryce was a dream come true, and felt like we were living history. Knowing that we were standing on the locations (beaches) were such horrendous events occurred was not just eerie but thrilling (for Bryce anyway). Caitlin just like seeing a beach again and smelling sea air.
Driving ourselves through these countries was an experience in itself, giving us the choice to go our own direction at our own pace instead of a tour. Driving on the other side of the road was at times comical but so frustrating particularly in Belgium. We rarely noticed the change in the quality of the roads and lack of signage compared to Holland and France, although we got so lost in Versailles (grant palace and gardens) we some how got from the middle of the city into real slums then the countryside, some how we ended up on a motorway not knowing where we were until all of a sudden there was the Eiffel tower and a five lane double highway to the airport (About three times the size of Melbourne airport). As we approached the airport we missed all the signs to Budget hire car drop off and ended up in the basement of some car park when all of a sudden there is signs everywhere for Budget car drop offs. Just plan dumb luck. The stress of it was horrible and just as things seemed too deep; the light at the end of tunnel comes through. The beauty of travel.
It was a great trip with fantastic food, cheap french wine, experiences and history. Our next trip is to Berlin and Prague via Dresden from October 20th for a week, and will be looking forward to have some else drive us this time.
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