The final couple of weeks through Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands

Seemingly a whirlwind trip over the last sixteen days, we have spent nearly two of those weeks in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Singapore combined. That said, we are edging ever closer to the flight home after five months of travels which has coloured our enthusiasm for sightseeing just a little! 

Yes, as predicted when we hit Germany again, suddenly autumn/winter arrived with a vengeance with daytime temperatures dropping dramatically from the almost balmy 18 degree summer days in the UK, to the coldest 9 degree days spent in Copenhagen, with freezing winds sweeping in from Siberia and places cold. Coats, scarves, beanies and cranked-up central heating were all required to maintain our comfort levels.

The German leg of the journey continued up through the middle of the old GDR mostly on auto-bahns which afford reasonable views (for passengers) visiting Naumburg with its magnificent Lutheran cathedral, Quedlinburg  a town of beautifully restored half-timbered architecture and on to the old Hanseatic port of Lȕbeck on the Baltic coast. One of the pleasures of this trip has undoubtedly been historical education and Lȕbeck gave us the opportunity to visit a wonderful museum full of interactivedisplays dedicated to Hanseatic traders and the northern European region. The colossal St Marys Church, whose bells are lying where Allied bombers felled them, is also worth a visit.

Half timbered town Quedlinburg

Old Gate, Lubeck

The bells of St Mary's left where they fell after bombing.

Some of the lovely old Hanseatic warehouses in Lubeck

After Lȕbeck, we hopped on a ferry from Puttgarden for a twenty kilometre journey to Rodby in Denmark; it must be the most expensive ferry in the world (100 euros each way for two people and a small car) although the organisation and speed of travel were very impressive with up to 48 departures a day across this narrow stretch of water.

Copenhagen didn’t excite us as much as we’d hoped; the weather was wet and freezing and one rare moment of blue sky and sunshine gave us an inkling of how much nicer it might be on a summer’s day! Public transport is excellent and, of course, the population make great use of bicycles – pedestrians and drivers have to be constantly on alert!   There’s certainly plenty to offer, it’s encircled by water, has a rich history and the Danes are extremely hospitable with everyone having an almost perfect command of English.

Copenhagen, old stock exchange

Lots of building in the city including the new city metro project

As a Scandi-crime fan, Sally wanted to travel across The Bridge from Copenhagen to Malmo in Sweden.  Again, the prospect of $75 to do a return trip by car for just a few hours was a bit daunting to the budget, so we went over The Bridge by train, or should I say under the bridge as it runs below the road level so we didn’t get much scenery to look at! It was a Monday too, so much was closed in Malmo (as in France, Denmark and Germany) and we found ourselves eating lunch in a Vietnamese restaurant (getting ready for spicy food again at home) and sheltering from the rain. 

  

Another day, we were reminded of our early history lessons at the Viking museum in Roskilde. The Vikings were virtually invincible and ruled Britain, Scandinavia and Northern Germany for over 300 years. The museum has excavated five of their boats and there are woodworkers making wooden boats with the old tools too.  Louisiana is an art gallery on the shores of the Niva Bugt fiord overlooking Sweden. We rounded out an enjoyable day there viewing a couple of exhibitions of post-modern art and Danish design.

what a difference some sunshine makes! Copenhagen Neuhavn.

Viking Museum

Copenhagan waterways

The last lengthy journey in our trusty Peugeot 2008 was back into Germany, stopping in  Bremen for a thorough shampoo and vacuum and on down into the Netherlands again where we finally bid farewell in Den Haag after 18,150 kms and 141days. Apart from a few GPS tantrums, the car performed relatively smoothly, although we did decline the opportunity to purchase post-lease and ship it back home. We recommend leasing a car from Peugeot or Renault as you can take the car all over Europe including the UK (for now!) and it is very reasonable compared to hire cars, even for a short stay.

We clocked up our 34th Airbnb stay in Amsterdam, with a gorgeous two storey light and bright apartment in walking distance to the city and our wonderful hosts, Silvia and Richard who live downstairs. Overall, we found great accommodation across Europe and hosts and would recommend AirBnB to anyone who wants their own space, real life not hotel life and enjoys meeting the locals. Just make sure you use the right filters for self-contained accommodation, parking, double bed, kitchen etc etc and communicate with your hosts before you arrive.  The only glitches being the occasional absence of a kettle and toaster in some spots and a few steep staircases – not the end of the world really!

Three days in Amsterdam in somewhat milder weather was spent in the company of Sally’s brother  and his wife who trained it over from St Malo. We walked the length and breadth of the old city - along canals, cobbled streets, around markets, across bridges, through parks, into shops, hopping on and off trams and a boat and we had a ball. There is no doubt we needed some company, our own was getting somewhat jaded after 5 months together!  The city was full of visitors, cafes were bursting and we were never bored. Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseum were duly ticked off as well; Vincent’s ten years of prolific work has been well and truly consumed on this trip, this was the fourth exhibition dedicated to him we had seen.

Amsterdam looking through the bridge tunnel!

Amsterdam houseboats and canals

Our last stop is Singapore where we have caught up with Tony’s cousin and his family who are visiting from Phuket, relaxed by the hotel pool and tried a local restaurant or two. We sweated our way around Singapore’s famed Botanical Gardens this morning, another UNESCO World Heritage site with its amazing orchid garden, frangipanis and bromeliads.

Sleep is a little disjointed and we hope to have our biorhythms back in the right time zone by the end of this weekend! It has been an amazing trip and well worth making it happen!  We have seen so many different places and landscapes and caught up with old friends and family (and cadged beds off them all too!) What’s next?  Probably a part time job for both of us so we can save up for the next adventure!

Leaving you with some of my favourite flowers!  Thanks for keeping up with our journey and look forward to seeing many of you soon!