Copenhagen

Copenhagen seems to be a friendly city where everyone gets along and does their part.  The people living and working here come from all over.  But instead of separating into different communities, they work together and aspire to a similar lifestyle.  Of course, my sample size of people met is small but we get this sense of shared values in all encounters.  Newcomers are learning Danish and English in order to fit in.  We have been here before and walked the central city; on this trip we plan to visit two of the outlying attractions

Interesting building in central Copenhagen.

Arriving at CPH airport, we took the regional train to our hotel in the Kodbyen area.  Nearby are many good restaurants; good seafood, but many options are available.  You see very little obesity here; people walk or ride bikes to many destinations.  Dawn and I rented bicycles today and pedaled to the fishing village of Dragor. I was imagining riding along secluded country lanes to get there; but that was not how it worked out.  Instead, we were navigating through Copenhagen suburbs (a canal, train tracks, highways, construction zones) and around the edge of the airport.  Without the program 'maps.me' we would not have made it.

The pretty fishing village of Dragor.  Almost all buildings had yellow-colored wall with either tile roofs or a thatched roof, some of which are still being newly installed.  Cobblestone streets.  Spring, with the smell of lilacs and newly mowed grass, is in the air.  Temperatures still mainly in the 50's.

We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe overlooking the harbor.

Bicycling in Denmark is serious business.  We were given a short summary of bike traffic rules before heading out, and we needed them.  Coming back this afternoon, we started to encounter bicycle rush hour.  It was also walking rush hour, and driving rush hour.  These people ride bikes daily and keep a fast pace.  Try not to get embarrassed when a woman with her shopping basket or baby on board passes you by.  I do enjoy the challenge of finding the route from lines on my I-Pad screen.

When bicycling, do not get in the pedestrian lane or the vehicle lane.  Ride on the right side of the street.  If you want to turn left at an intersection, you proceed straight across the intersection, then stop your bicycle and wait for the signal to change before actually turning left unto your new street.

We took a train to Roskilde today.  A nice town with a big cathedral and pedestrian shopping area, but most notably, a Viking ship museum where new Viking ships are being built in a traditional manner.  Lots of history presented and you can even take a cruise of the bay in one of their authentic vessels.  You can walk from the train station to the Viking museum.  First walk to the cathedral (look for the tall steeple) then continue in the same direction down the hill, past a park, until you reach the bay.

The Roskilde church is a UNESCO site as one of the earliest brick cathedrals.  A nice pedestrian shopping area is nearby.

The Viking ship museum and building site is very popular.  They were constantly taking people out in these boats, even raising their square sails when the wind was favorable.

Five viking ships, almost 1000 years old, were carefully excavated from the bay and are now housed in a climate-controlled building.  Roskilde was once the most prominent town in Denmark.

At the workshop, they build replica Viking ships using the same materials, techniques and tools as originally used.  The largest present is about 100 feet long and has been sailed to Ireland and back.

I loved this boat building demonstration.  I am building a similar style 15' boat at home.  It was interesting to see that they use a similar sequence in fabricating the parts as I do.  I picked up some ideas that may be useful when planking/sheathing the hull begins. 

Copenhagen is a city of canals.  Hans Christian Andersen had a home on this street.

We had been here previously and had seen the attractions of the central city: the Little Mermaid, Tivoli Park, etc., but with sundown not until almost 10pm at this season, upon returning to the city in late afternoon, we did retrace a walking route through the city itself.  Copenhagen has extensive pedestrian-only street connections, plus many canals and regular streets.  You will always find a bike lane.

Mallorca & Rome

The harbor at Palma de Mallorca contains a spectacular array of yachts of every description.  We can watch a continual parade of beautiful boats coming past our docked cruise ship.  We took a shuttle the 4 km. to the town center and then went on a taxi tour with another couple.  Palma itself is just another city (half the island population lives there); thus, we went to Valldemossa, a cute village toward the mountainous NW, for more relaxed surroundings.  Very enjoyable; would have been nice to stay there a few days.  But on a cruise, you only get a brief taste of the places visited.

Looking across a park at the cathedral in Valldemossa, Mallorca.  The village is easily walkable.

Fountain in a park along the waterfront in Palma, Mallorca.

Courtyard of the cathedral in Palma.

The yacht harbor and view of Palma from our cruise ship.

The alley our Rome "hotel"is located on.  Would you suspect a hotel is located here?  No sign; you must know the address which is printed in tiny numbers.

  Our room in central Rome was completely modern, beautiful, comfortable, spacious, custom breakfast, with an outdoor sitting area.... and less than $140 per night, with the complementary bottle of Chianti.  What a score!

A person could spend many days admiring the architecture and art of Vatican City.  This is the interior of St. Peter's Basilica.  (Yes, we weren't alone.)

Several blocks of semi-excavated Roman ruins.  A few structures are actively being rebuilt.

What is amazing is that there aren't hundreds of people in this photo, because they are there but cropped out.

We had been hesitating to visit Rome: just a big, congested, dilapidated, tourist-infested city. (all true)  But, the Roman and Catholic structures and art are truly amazing.  We took a taxi from the port (1 1/2 hours) to our "hotel" in the city center. Our room was not ready, so we dropped off our luggage and went out to explore for the next eight hours. First the nearby Pantheon; next lunch; then Castle Saint Angelo; and finally, the Vatican.  Walking back that evening, we stopped at a grocery store for meat, bread, and wine for dinner.  And our room (perhaps the wedding suite?) is outstanding. We slept with the doors open unto our third-floor patio.  Quiet.... in the center of the city.

May is too late to avoid the crowds, tens of thousands, that flock to Rome. To avoid the crowds, we were told to visit in January or February.  We visited the Colosseum today, but did not go inside.  The crowds were just too much.  We walked through entire city blocks of ancient ruins, also many blocks of interesting shops and restaurants.  Amazing that this all existed for thousands of years.  Just north of the Colosseum is a "bums' park" full of vagrants and trash and un-excavated ruins.  The new city is built among the foundations of the old city; you may find some ancient columns standing in a back alley.  The Rome airport, FCO, is excellent; it was selected as the best European airport for 2018.

Cruise: England to the Med

A very small park near the waterfront in Southampton.  There is a small "old town" with parts of a city wall and old buildings, but nothing outstanding.

The ship is six months old and on its first European cruise.  I am not going to discuss the ship because cruising is a subject unto itself.  Our cabin looked out over the bow.

As you can see, a cloudy cool day in Bilbao, Spain.  We walked through the city and along the river getting our exercise, but otherwise found the area unremarkable.

After a pleasant overnight stay at a residential B&B in Southampton, we joined our cruise ship.  First stop was Bilbao, Spain.  The weather was overcast with periodic showers.  We weren't very impressed with the city, but perhaps the weather was a factor.  Lots of high density housing in a mountainous area inland from the mainly industrial harbor.  Most notable is the Guggenheim Art Museum.  Not being art fans, we spent more time in the Old Town neighborhood of narrow streets and small shops.

A plaza in the old town of A Coruna.  Perfect weather for a walk.

Tower of Hercules. a really old light house and very popular with tourists (but not too crowded).

Next stop was A Coruna which is located right on the coast in a large natural bay, popular for sailing.  One long sandy beach present, but still an amazing amount of high density housing.  The tourist info people have it all laid out: start at Old Town, then San Anton fort, a long walk along the Paseo Maritimo, the Tower of Hercules on a grassy peninsula, then back to Orzan Beach and the shopping areas. Good exercise on a beautiful day.

Looking out from our ship at the Lisbon hillside.  Because Lisbon sits on the open Atlantic coast, the weather here does not get excessively warm most of the time.

We have visited Lisbon previously; now we are here for the day (until 3:30pm).  The Lisbon city view consists of hillsides covered mainly with white buildings with red tile roofs.  It was suggested that we visit the Gulbenkian art museum while here; thus, we found the nearest Metro station and rode the underground train there.  Two parts to the exhibit:  older items including jewelry, furniture, paintings, sculpture, tapestries, etc. and then the modern art building.  Looking at modern art, I'd summarize that art is in the eye of the beholder.  The older items are amazing considering what they had to work with; the modern stuff didn't hold our attention as much.

Approaching Gibraltar.  The town to the left and "the rock" to the right; Spain is in the background.  The ship traffic here is heavy; this 15-mile wide channel connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic.

Looking down from the "Rock" at Gibraltar city.  our cruise ship is visible and Spain is in the back ground.  Mark Zuckerberg's yacht is entering the harbor toward the left.  At this location, a Macaque monkey may come over to touch you, hoping for a treat.

This is the south gate of the city.  To the right (not seen) is a small, old, beautiful cemetery.  Beyond the gate is the crowded main street of Gibraltar, loaded with tourists from the two cruise ships in port.

Gibraltar was interesting; British, language in English, currency is the pound, but they drive on the right.  Spanish is also taught and used commonly.  The strait here is narrow enough that you can see Morocco (Africa) from this southern point in Europe. We joined with six other people to hire a van taxi for a tour.  It took us to the top of the "Rock"; great scenery and the Macaque monkeys. We even got in a long walk from the cable car back to our ship.

To Paris and Southampton

Touring the French countryside and visiting the various Great War memorials could make a very enjoyable vacation by itself.  Having a good GPS is essential; it serves as our tour guide.  The British approach was to bury their dead where they fell; thus, small British cemeteries are scattered throughout the region. (French forces manned the front further south.)  Other countries tended to gather their dead into larger consecrated sites.  Germany brought their dead back to the home country.  Commonly, a battlefield and museum are included with reflections on the period, home country and other events.  Studying WWI in this region is essentially a scavenger hunt of sites in the beautiful countryside.

The memorial at Belleau Woods, hallowed in the annals of the US Marine Corps.

The memorial is actually quite large with surrounding woods.

Our last day in France, we stopped at Chateau Thierry on our way back to Paris.  It is the location of a battlefield, cemetery, and memorial famous to the US Marines of Belleau Woods.  Unfortunately, we are short on time.  By the time we located the memorial, we needed to move on to Paris.  Tonight we sleep in Southampton, England.

Amiens, France- World War I Remembered

From our B&B on a farm near Bayeaux, we have driven to the village of Croissy-sur-celle almost 300 kilometers to the northeast.  Everywhere we look, the fields and forests are lush with vegetation.  Our B&B here is near the center of the village.  Surrounded by a high wall with a locking gate, there is a large courtyard and a stream flowing across the back of the property.  We slept with the window open, and it was perfectly quiet at night!  These small ancient villages are everywhere, and we are wondering if they are maintaining their vitality, or are the young people moving to the cities?

Looking out our guest room window at the courtyard of our B&B.  Our little T-Roc is parked in the shade.  Our hostess speaks very little English, but we get by and she serves wonderful breakfasts.

Longueval.  The memorial to South African and New Zealand troops who fought in the surrounding Delville woods.  We are looking from a distance; the site includes a museum.

Beaumont-Hamel.  Battleground and memorial to Newfoundland soldiers trapped in these trenches by fierce German gunfire.  Remember, what we are seeing is more than 100 years old.  Nearby is a massive monument at Thiepval commemorating more than 72,000 missing Commonwealth soldiers.

Lochnagar Crater was caused by underground explosives which were set off to completely eliminate the enemy front lines.  A hole about 50 yards in diameter.  Most notable are the placards detailing certain people and events.  PTSD was not recognized at this time.  This war was so wasteful of human life that 27,000 French troops mutinied, and the leaders of the mutiny were shot.  Enlarge and read the inscription.

After a day of visiting WWI monuments, it makes WWII look like a cake walk.  Imagine 60,000 casualties in ONE day on one battlefield.  Imagine a unit of 3,200 sent to clear a forest and only 143 walk out at the end of the week-long operation.  The British alone suffer a million dead, not counting the French, Germans, Belgian, US, and others.  More soldiers lost in this war than WWII.  The countryside here in the eastern Somme is dotted with military cemeteries.  Not as crowded with visitors as Normandy..... these men are only faded memories to their descendants.  At Thiepval is a monument to the more than 72,000 missing Commonwealth soldiers from this war.  Think about that.... doesn't include French, German, or others; these are dead whose bodies were never found; bodies ground to pulp in the artillery barrages of "No man's land" and trench warfare.

Villers-Bretonneux.  Site of the Monash Center, an outstanding monument/museum to the Australian contribution to the war.  General Monash is celebrated because he carefully planned and coordinated all aspects of the attack with the result that the battle was won in 93 minutes with minimum loss of life.  About 1000 US troops were included in the attack.  The actual battlefield is located at Le Hamel, nearby.

We had a great day; our first stop was the American military cemetery at Bony.  There we met the superintendent and his wife, Craig & Lorna, who invited us into their home and laid out a list of places to visit.  They even told us where to find lunch, a restaurant run by a Brit expat frequented by British visitors.  Had a bit of an "adventure" coming home (Sunday evening) when the gas tank read empty.  The first gas station we stopped at was closed; the second was diesel only; and the third was automated but wouldn't accept our credit cards.... until the third try!

We stopped at the village of Frise to take a walk along the canal banks and encountered this party of boaters making their way through the locks and down the river on a beautiful day.

The monument at Vimy ridge.  A large park, woods, trench system, tunnels, and a museum are all located at this site.  We were given a guided tour of a section of the remaining tunnels.

Posted in the museum at Vimy ridge.  The author, a Canadian, was later killed in battle.

Our farthest drive was to Vimy Ridge, just north of Arras.  The battlefield there is well preserved.  We were able to walk in a section of the tunnels built there over 100 years ago which still exist.  There are still areas with signs warning of unexploded ordnance.  Farmers in this part of France still find projectiles and other items in their fields every year.   We visited the American monument at Belleau Wood on our last day here.  Ask any US Marine; this is an important battlefield in the history of the Corps.

Monument at Belleau Woods.  By the time we located this monument, we had less than an hour to explore before heading for Paris and our flight to England.


We have lightly covered the section of the battlefields and monuments of WWI between Arras and Chateau Thierry in the past few days.  We have only sampled about 100 miles of the 500 mile long Western Front of WWI, but this includes the areas where most American troops were deployed.  The area is beautiful, quiet, rural landscape with many prosperous farms and green leafy forests.  Because this area is not so touristy, nice accommodations are not as numerous.  The events that happened here may be considered more world-shaping than WWII, but the people who remember these events are all gone now.

Normandy, France

Leaving Paris in our rental car was one intersection at a time, including security road blocks, road repairs, and noon-time traffic. Then it was open road except for toll booths; veer to the right to use the booths that accept credit cards.  Our destination is a farmhouse outside a village south of Bayeaux.  Past a one-lane bridge, the farmhouse is 500+ years old; stone walls two feet thick, doorways less than six feet tall, ancient & massive beamed ceilings, but all restored using modern and beautiful finishes.  The farmhouse had been vacant since the French Revolution (look that date up) prior to this renovation. An engaging and educated little French lady serves a wonderful breakfast with homemade croissants & breads, goat cheese, fruit, and eggs.  The pasture holds three horses and a donkey. Her dog, Charlie, came out to greet us while the cat hid outside.  In any organized tour, you could never enjoy such a personalized experience; she only has two rooms to rent.

Our B&B, a ancient farmhouse brought up to modern standards and located on 34 acres.

Our bedroom.  Absolutely gorgeous; renovated after 200 years of neglect.

The cathedral at Bayeau, France.  Although Bayeau is located directly inland from the D-Day beaches, it received only minor damage in the conflict.

Bayeau is a scenic town, well-located to explore the Normandy area, and small enough that you can explore its streets on foot.

Dawn's father crossed this beach at about noon on D-Day, 75 years ago as the driver of a half-track vehicle.  He participated in the entire march across Europe; major battles, mass graves, opening of concentration camps, until meeting up with the Russians.  It was 40+ years before he spoke about it and then only small snippets of what he experienced.

The cliffs of Pointe du Hoc where American Rangers climbed up ropes, under murderous German fire, to disable the large artillery located there.

Breakfast was shared with a couple from Germany.  We had a interesting discussion including WWII,  the re-unification of Germany, and modern day Europe. Experiences like this will never be forgotten.  Off to visit the D-Day beaches; tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of VE (victory in Europe) day.  To see Omaha Beach, look for signs for the American Military Cemetery.  The cemetery is located directly adjacent to the beach.  Ocean waves were lapping at the foot of cliffs in what is now a peaceful view of the ocean and farmers' fields.  Beautiful, well done, and well maintained; if you even pause to reflect, it will bring tears to your eyes.

On D-Day, this wide-open beach offered no protection for the American amphibious advance resulting in massive casualties.

I brought back no pictures of the American Cemetery.  It had the feel of a holy place, a place of personal reflection and appreciation; not a place for tourist "trophy" photographs.  More than 9,300 graves are located here; each one representing a young life cut short.

Today you can find land sailers enjoying wide Omaha beach.  This is not a new sport; it has been enjoyed for over 100 years.

We stopped at an excellent museum in Bayeaux which showed archival coverage of the 1944 offensive; I was left with an increased appreciation of the horrendous violence of this conflict.  Human bodies were like moths before a flame; snuffed out by the thousands.  A better museum is located at Utah Beach.  Along this Normandy coast, various exhibits detail the invasion in a complete and balanced manner.  Many of the visitors are French, but the Germans come here also.  Visiting Pointe du Hoc completed our visit.

Looking down the barrel of a German defensive artillery piece overlooking the beaches.

Everyone said, "You must visit Mont St. Michel." and so we did.  It is beautiful; it is unique; it is a tourist trap.  If I had it over, I would not have gone there.  A long drive to be caught up in an endless crowd where every scene was dominated by surrounding bodies.

A virtual island at high tide connected to the mainland by a causeway.

Arrival in Paris

We have been very accustomed to DIA, but with current renovations there, the place has become like a zoo.  Paris, CDG, the largest of several airports in the Paris area, is huge beehive of activity. The ride to our hotel in city center was long; glad we didn't have to negotiate metro stops with all our luggage in an unfamiliar town & language.  What we know in Spanish doesn't seem to carry over to French.  Study the phrase book!   I walked to Notre Dame tonight to get some views.  Needed the exercise, and the lighting was good.

Looking north from our hotel room toward Notre Dame cathedral.

Notre Dame cathedral with visible smoke damage and scaffolding in place.

Paris has exceeded our expectations (not being lovers of big cities).  Very satisfied with our hotel and location; we are within walking distance of Notre Dame and the Sorbonne.  Everyone has been helpful; we have not experienced any standoffish Gaulic attitudes.  Saw much more of Paris than we planned when our city bus did a "great circle route" of the city rather than a back-and-forth route between our hotel and the Eiffel tower.  Roughly 12.5 million persons in the metro area.  Driving our rental car out of Paris today was the hard part.

We had been to the Eiffel tower previously, but this time we stood in the long line and took an elevator to the top.

The Arc de Triomphe, located in the center of a traffic circle.  You need to take a tunnel to get to it.  We had dinner near here and noted broken windows in stores from recent "yellow vest" riots.

The highways in France are excellent; smooth and well-marked.  We are driving a new VW "T-Roc" small SUV.  It has all the latest features: proximity warnings, lane-keeping guidance, rain sensors, GPS, A/C, and two video screens.  Six-speed manual but it tells when to shift and what gear to use.  I really enjoy European cars; very fuel and space efficient in a compact size but also for good highway driving.  The speed limits here vary frequently, between 90 and 130 kph.