Sunday June 8th ~ Bergen, Norway
Bergen, Norway
Known as the “Gateway to the Fiords”, this is where we get our first taste of Norway. Founded by Vikings, everything here revolves around the ocean.
With a similar climate to Seattle, Bergen gets an average of 90 inches of rain a year.
My favorite flowers, Iris
We arrived on a holiday weekend so the museums were closed. We still had an opportunity to enjoy a sunny morning before the clouds rolled in midday.
Continue reading
Saturday June 7th ~ On board a cruise ship on our way to Norway
Harbor in Dover
Tuesday June 3rd ~ Prague, Czech Republic
Tyn Church aka The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn
I’ve known Mike since high school and a few years ago we reconnected through the magic of Facebook. He graciously volunteered his skills to help out a charity that is near and dear to Tim and my hearts, “Miracles in Action”. He was also one of my strongest cheerleaders when I went through some health issues. We have been in contact regularly ever since.
When I posted about falling in love with Prague and it becoming my new favorite big city, he wisely commented that it takes more than physical beauty to make a city worthy of “favorite” status in his mind. That got me thinking ~ Continue reading
Sunday June 1st ~ Prague, Czech Republic
The beautiful streets of Prague
It was time to get out and do some more walking. Heading in the direction of the river, we wandered aimlessly. I knew I wanted to walk across Charles Bridge. A Gothic masterpiece and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, it connects the Old Town with Lesser Town. We decided that if we got lost, it was OK.
Walking on the Charles Bridge
The bridge itself is crowded, especially on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Paintings, jewelry, handicraft items are offered for sale along the way. We found a miniature painting that we decided would be fun to hang in our kitchen and purchased it. Finding room in our already stressed luggage will be the next challenge.
We took our time as we slowly strolled along. It felt great to not have any time constraints or other obligations. Continue reading
Saturday May 31st ~ Prague, Czech Republic
Prague near the Charles Bridge
Most of my generation will remember the country Czechoslovakia. As a sovereign state, it existed in Central Europe from 1918 until it peaceably split into the two countries of Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 1993.
Today Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and home to 1.3 million residents. It is also the historical capital of Bohemia.
Since arriving a few days ago, we have definitely slowed down our frantic pace after back to back to back tours. And what a beautiful city this is to unwind in. Continue reading
Tuesday, May 27th and Wednesday, May 28th ~ Krakow, Poland
Street Art
Many of the major cities now offer FREE walking tours and Krakow was no exception. They had several to choose from and we decided to try a slightly different avenue – Street Art.
The meeting point was in Market Square right in front of St. Mary’s Basilica. The Street Art tour is only offered three times a week at 10:30 in the morning. They do not charge a cent, but gratuities are appreciated and from the tours we have taken, much deserved.
Within a few minutes, we moved away from the main square and headed Continue reading
May 26th ~ Krakow, Poland
Our friends left very early this morning to fly back home to the states. We are on our own once again.
Sometimes you just have to stop and take care of business. In this case it meant doing laundry. A LOT of laundry. In fact every piece of clothing that we have crammed into our suitcases was in need of being washed.
We of course can (and sometimes even do) wash out a few items in our hotel bathroom sink and hang it to dry, hopefully, overnight. But really, let’s be honest here. Continue reading
May 24th and 25th ~ Krakow, Poland
View of Wawel Hill and the Royal Castle from the river bank
After our tour ended and goodbyes were said, the six of us (Dick, Karen, Jan, Gary, Tim and I) prepared to move to a smaller hotel located right in the heart of the Old Town. I have probably written about this before, but our criteria for what we look for is: Continue reading
May 23rd – Krakow, Poland
Overlooking the Vistula River
This is the last official day of our Gate 1 tour of the Baltics and it ended on a strange note. As a group we had a morning orientation city tour of Krakow which included a visit to a castle and the city center of old town.
Kraków was the former capital of Poland until it was moved to Warsaw. Talk about an OLD city, they have written records that go back over 1000 years. But that is nothing: Continue reading
May 22 ~ Auschwitz, Poland
What does this say? Rough translation = Caution, high voltage dangerous life
I had been both dreading and anxious about today. Having heard about the atrocities that were inflicted by and upon mankind here, I was not sure how I would handle it.
Thankfully our day started out on a lighter note with a visit to see the Black Madonna.
The Black Madonna of Częstochowa
Częstochowa is regarded as the most popular shrine in Poland, with many Polish Catholics making a pilgrimage there every year. Experts disagree on the age and original story behind the Black Madonna. It is dated as somewhere between the 6th to the 14th century. What they do agree on is that monks brought it from the Ukraine to Poland in the 14th century and built a monastery to house this relic. Continue reading
A Note From Abroad 