Re: Norwegian Fjords and British Isles Cruise Review - Part 1
D Ball
Norwegian fjords, but am interested in hearing why they enchant so many.
Your story of how life's series of events brought your group together for
that trip is charming and inspirational in a "seize the day" sort of way. I
will be interested in hearing what you liked so much about Copenhagen. We
were there the 26th-28th of July at the conclusion of our Baltics cruise. I
am trying to guess whether you fall in the love/hate category for Tivoli
Gardens?! We loved it. I am going out on a limb and betting you did, too. ;)
Keep writing!
Diana Ball
near Houston, TX
Tom K
"D Ball" <di...@removespamball.net> wrote in message
news:3lnd5uF...@individual.net...
> Welcome home, Tom. I am loving your review--I know nothing about the
> Norwegian fjords, but am interested in hearing why they enchant so many.
If you want some pics, e-mail me and I'll send some along. The sad part
about any review of the fjords is that there is no way to describe in
pictures what they look like. How do you describe Yosemite verbally? Can
you imaging if they told Ansel Adams that he could only use a typewriter?
And even with pictures, how do you take a valley as beautiful as Yosemite,
and try to capture it on a piece of 3" x 5" paper .
When you walk past Birksdal Glacier's waterfall, and get wet because of the
spray... it's the beauty and exiliration that creat the level of
enchantment. You don't feel the wet spray on your face in a photograph.
And the amazing thing with the fjords... everything is within 20 minutes of
the fjord. There is no need for 1 week inland before the cruise.
> Your story of how life's series of events brought your group together for
> that trip is charming and inspirational in a "seize the day" sort of way.
> I will be interested in hearing what you liked so much about Copenhagen.
> We were there the 26th-28th of July at the conclusion of our Baltics
> cruise. I am trying to guess whether you fall in the love/hate category
> for Tivoli Gardens?! We loved it. I am going out on a limb and betting you
> did, too. ;)
Stay tuned.
--Tom <---- remaining secretive...
Jean O'Boyle
"Tom K" <tkan...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:UrvJe.16153$_R1....@fe11.lga...
> Stay tuned.
>
> --Tom <---- remaining secretive...
Will do, Tom..I'm still getting over that you planned to get back from Paris
@ 9:45 pm with the ship leaving at 10:00 pm!
Tooooooo close for comfort for me!
--Jean<---waiting for the next installment..;-)
Tom K
"Jean O'Boyle" <j.ob...@removefudged.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:ZIvJe.286$A86...@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
>
> "Tom K" <tkan...@optonline.net> wrote in message
> news:UrvJe.16153$_R1....@fe11.lga...
>> Stay tuned.
>>
>> --Tom <---- remaining secretive...
>
> Will do, Tom..I'm still getting over that you planned to get back from
> Paris @ 9:45 pm with the ship leaving at 10:00 pm!
> Tooooooo close for comfort for me!
>
Sorry... I wasn't clear. The 6:00 train was the last train that got back in
time. It got us back at 8:00. 9:45 was when everyone had to be onboard.
Sailing was at 10:00.
Jean O'Boyle
> Sorry... I wasn't clear. The 6:00 train was the last train that got back
> in time. It got us back at 8:00. 9:45 was when everyone had to be
> onboard. Sailing was at 10:00.
Whew!! Now that sounds better!
--Jean
Tom K
Now that I finished the review...
The answer is that I liked Tivoli Garden, but not as much as Nyhavn. I
really loved the Nyhavn area of town. Maybe it's my heritage, or the artist
in me, but I liked the canal area, the old boats, the reflections of the
different colors in the water of the canal at Nyhavn, vs. the amusement park
aspects of Tivoli.
Other than the fjords (more wonders of nature), my favorite places that we
visited were the Royal Mile area of Edinburgh and the Nyhavn area of
Copenhagen. Of course, I also love Paris, but since I'd been there multiple
times before, I'm not including that. Plus our visit to Paris was too
rushed.
I've heard that Amsterdam is a lot like the Nyhavn area of Copenhagen, so
I'm really looking forward to Amsterdam next year.
--Tom
Jean O'Boyle
>
> I've heard that Amsterdam is a lot like the Nyhavn area of Copenhagen, so
> I'm really looking forward to Amsterdam next year.
The reviews have made great reading, Tom...You captured the scenes and your
adventures to where I felt that I was actually there...You mentioned a
Baltic cruise next year...what date and which ship? From what my son told
me after being there on a neuroscience connected trip for a couple weeks,
you will love Amsterdam and its canals...Lots of museums and historical
places too..Anne Frank's house, etc.
--Jean
Tom K
>
> "Tom K" <tkan...@optonline.net> wrote in message
> news:BsUJe.26110$Kx6....@fe12.lga...
>>
>> I've heard that Amsterdam is a lot like the Nyhavn area of Copenhagen, so
>> I'm really looking forward to Amsterdam next year.
>
> The reviews have made great reading, Tom...You captured the scenes and
> your adventures to where I felt that I was actually there...You mentioned
> a Baltic cruise next year...what date and which ship?
Century (2 weeks or so after her major renovation is completed), on June 27.
--Tom
Jean O'Boyle
>
> Century (2 weeks or so after her major renovation is completed), on June
> 27.
>
> --Tom
Ahhhhhhhhhh! Does that mean that you are not going to be with us on the
SGC2006??? I am looking forward to seeing you on it with us to Bermuda,
again!
--Jean
D Ball
>
> The answer is that I liked Tivoli Garden, but not as much as Nyhavn. I
> really loved the Nyhavn area of town. Maybe it's my heritage, or the
> artist in me, but I liked the canal area, the old boats, the reflections
> of the different colors in the water of the canal at Nyhavn, vs. the
> amusement park aspects of Tivoli.
<snip>
> I've heard that Amsterdam is a lot like the Nyhavn area of Copenhagen, so
> I'm really looking forward to Amsterdam next year.
>
> --Tom
Well, it's a bummer your review has to come to an end, Tom. It was both
informative and entertaining! Thanks for taking us along for a vicarious
peek. You are a terrific writer, and it was fascinating to learn about such
a different part of the world.
Your remarks about dining on the Connie are very much in line with what we
experienced on the Millie in the Med last summer. I agree with your
conclusion, Euro food provisioning seems to have some impact on ingredients.
So, I felt you were equivocal about how *you* liked Tivoli Gardens, and now
I learn why! There was a healthy crowd the night we were there (July 26),
but I cannot imagine 100-200K? We found it totally delightful, and what a
beautiful setting, especially once it was dark and the twinkle lights worked
their magic. We rode the rides, people watched and made the rounds of the
various performances and live stages. We sat at the old cafe and restaurant
front left of the main stage to watch the late evening concert. There were a
lot of locals there for cocktails and the band, including many well-dressed
older people who were clearly out to make the most of a beautiful summer
evening. Did you catch the Thumbelina show? It just opened July 14, not sure
about the timing of your visit. The Queen was the artistic force behind the
production and designed the sets and costumes herself. You may have heard
some stories about the royal family. They are apparently very accessible,
involved in everyday affairs and well-liked. Speaking of artists, the Queen
loves to paint and admits to ignoring her official duties sometimes to sneak
in a few hours at the studio! Yes, I was rather taken with Tivoli, but I
confess to loving amusement parks.
Now, if you liked Nyhavn, then oh my, yes, you are going to love Amsterdam.
I have to think hard, though. I am not sure we've ever sat along a canal
quite like Nyhavn, with non-stop restaurants, entertainment and people out
having fun. That was, indeed, a very nice and somewhat unique experience. I
thought Copenhagen was nice enough, although ouch, incredibly pricey. The
supreme irony of that was, we were never so relieved when it was time to
move on to London. Of all the expensive cities in the world! But, we know
London, public transportation is cheap, you can order that beer without
thinking about how much it costs, LOL.
So, next summer, Century to the Baltics leaving out of Amsterdam? What a
great plan. All 4 in our bunch like Amsterdam a lot, plus we have friends
there, so we've visited as often as logical, including this trip, of course,
to cruise out of Rotterdam. Between Ams and Rott (only 1-1/2 hours away) are
The Hague, Delft and other neat places, so we had a lot of fun exploring
beyond the city this year. As if Amsterdam doesn't have enough good art,
there are some incredible collections in The Hague, including MC Escher's
work...fascinating! But in 2003, we sailed out of Amsterdam on the inaugural
voyage of the Serenade with Jeff C. and Howie & Eileen and the Zegarskis. I
remember we got up early the morning the ship came in port, rented bikes and
rode all over town, including over to see the ship. We returned to our
hotel, got our bags and a taxi, and on our way to embark, stopped at the
Flower Market for some gorgeous (and incredibly cheap) flowers for our
staterooms.
This reminds me, in Copenhagen, by the King's Square, did you walk through
that small flower market at the corner of the big department store? There
were some lilies of a color I'd never seen before. Also, at the top of the
square where it looks down at Nyhavn, did you stop and look at that replica
of a core plug from the earth with the descriptions of the different eras,
strata and artifacts? I thought that was such a creative display.
Good times.
Diana
Tom K
>
> Your remarks about dining on the Connie are very much in line with what we
> experienced on the Millie in the Med last summer. I agree with your
> conclusion, Euro food provisioning seems to have some impact on
> ingredients.
That's my guess... which is kind of disappointing since Europe gets premium
pricing.
> So, I felt you were equivocal about how *you* liked Tivoli Gardens, and
> now I learn why! There was a healthy crowd the night we were there (July
> 26), but I cannot imagine 100-200K? We found it totally delightful, and
> what a beautiful setting, especially once it was dark and the twinkle
> lights worked their magic. We rode the rides,
Some of the young kids in the group wanted to go on kids' rides (like the
carousel) and even those had hunreds of people standing in line. We
couldn't do any rides that night.
It might have been a lot more fun without the huge crowd.
> people watched and made the rounds of the various performances and live
> stages. We sat at the old cafe and restaurant front left of the main stage
> to watch the late evening concert. There were a lot of locals there for
> cocktails and the band, including many well-dressed older people who were
> clearly out to make the most of a beautiful summer evening. Did you catch
> the Thumbelina show?
No. I wasn't aware of it. We were only in the park about 2 1/2 hours or
so. At first, we were trying to find our way to the rides, but when we saw
the lines, then we just wandered. Plus we went to the Hard Rock for shirts.
> It just opened July 14, not sure about the timing of your visit. The Queen
> was the artistic force behind the production and designed the sets and
> costumes herself. You may have heard some stories about the royal family.
> They are apparently very accessible, involved in everyday affairs and
> well-liked. Speaking of artists, the Queen loves to paint and admits to
> ignoring her official duties sometimes to sneak in a few hours at the
> studio! Yes, I was rather taken with Tivoli, but I confess to loving
> amusement parks.
I'm not really a fan of amusement parks or rides. Never been to WDW.
> Now, if you liked Nyhavn, then oh my, yes, you are going to love
> Amsterdam. I have to think hard, though. I am not sure we've ever sat
> along a canal quite like Nyhavn, with non-stop restaurants, entertainment
> and people out having fun. That was, indeed, a very nice and somewhat
> unique experience. I thought Copenhagen was nice enough, although ouch,
> incredibly pricey.
You're right. Pricey is an understatement for Copenhagen.
> The supreme irony of that was, we were never so relieved when it was time
> to move on to London. Of all the expensive cities in the world! But, we
> know London, public transportation is cheap, you can order that beer
> without thinking about how much it costs, LOL.
>
> So, next summer, Century to the Baltics leaving out of Amsterdam? What a
> great plan. All 4 in our bunch like Amsterdam a lot, plus we have friends
> there, so we've visited as often as logical, including this trip, of
> course, to cruise out of Rotterdam. Between Ams and Rott (only 1-1/2 hours
> away) are The Hague, Delft and other neat places, so we had a lot of fun
> exploring beyond the city this year. As if Amsterdam doesn't have enough
> good art, there are some incredible collections in The Hague, including MC
> Escher's work...fascinating! But in 2003, we sailed out of Amsterdam on
> the inaugural voyage of the Serenade with Jeff C. and Howie & Eileen and
> the Zegarskis. I remember we got up early the morning the ship came in
> port, rented bikes and rode all over town, including over to see the ship.
> We returned to our hotel, got our bags and a taxi, and on our way to
> embark, stopped at the Flower Market for some gorgeous (and incredibly
> cheap) flowers for our staterooms. This reminds me, in Copenhagen, by the
> King's Square, did you walk through that small flower market at the corner
> of the big department store?
What was the name of the department store? I can't remember. The name
started with the letter "M" I think.
> There were some lilies of a color I'd never seen before.
We did stroll through the flower market. Incredible collection and all
kinds of colors.
> Also, at the top of the square where it looks down at Nyhavn, did you stop
> and look at that replica of a core plug from the earth with the
> descriptions of the different eras, strata and artifacts? I thought that
> was such a creative display.
I saw it but didn't take a close look. I spent more time around the wharf
area. I took lots of pictures of the wharf for potential paintings.
>
> Good times.
Agreed.
--Tom
> Diana
>
ketelbinkie
"Karen" <kar...@ROTTERDAM.cupcaked.com> schreef in bericht
news:42f9d4f5...@news.optonline.com...
> Cap'n Ahab <white...@private.com> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 09 Aug 2005 14:42:32 GMT, kar...@ROTTERDAMV.cupcaked.com
>>(Karen) wrote:
>>
>>>The above is interesting! Hans has finally started to make some noise
>>>about wanting to visit The Netherlands again. His plan is to be able
>>>to arrive on the ROTTERDAM V when it comes back to Holland as its
>>>final port of call next year. He was on the ship when it left
>>>Rotterdam for the first time, and he wants to be on her when she comes
>>>back "home" again. With the help of a Dutch TV station and a few
>>>local historical groups, he may well get his wish.
>>>
>>>That means a trip to Rotterdam, Amsterdam AND Hans' home town of
>>>Schiedam. Maybe I can sneak in a canal boat trip, too :-)
>>
>>The A'dam police await his arrival.
>>http://www.pbase.com/vinz/image/47286021
>
> LOL!
>
> Karen
>
As I have told before: Forget being on board s.s. ROTTERDAM V when she is
coming home.
Reason: quite simple: insurance!
The ship will be towed to Rotterdam with absolutely nobody on board. Just
like she was towed from Freeport to Gibraltar. Only every other day an
inspection round.
Believe me, as I am well informed as Karen knows.
Willem
ketelbinkie
>
> From your e-mail addy, I'm not sure you're the Willem I think you may
> be.
>
> As far as being onboard the ship, Hans has made independent plans with
> independent Hollanders with apparently enough pull to make this
> happen. I'll be waiting at the pier by myself this time, as he will
> be the only one allowed boarding privileges.
>
> Karen
>
I am that one Willem you know.
As far as the ship concerns, there are no independent Dutch who can decide
that. Only the owners and they have confirmed lately that the ship will be
towed to Rotterdam. EMPTY !
Refer to my message of 4 July:
<quote>
Well, your original plan would not have worked, as the ship would be
under tow and no crew/passengers would be on board.
Now the plans have changed and a new owner has been found, it will
still be impossible to be ON board when she comes home.
The new owner is negotiating with yards to have the hull repainted
into the dark blue HAL livery with yellow stripe AND a red stripe
(? ?).
As far as is known by now, 'De Rotterdam' will be home by September
2006. So you have to wait another year :-(
And still on her home voyage, no crew/passengers on board. Not even
the board of the Steamship Rotterdam Foundation (bad luck for me).
<unquote>
Willem
ketelbinkie
Be prepared not to get a
> response from him, though, as he's aware that you've stolen from his
> web site for your own. I doubt he'd share this kind of information
> with you.
>
> I don't know all the details; this is his project, and it does not
> concern me until it's time to go.
>
> Karen
I did what ? ?
Willem, just a bit confused!