Tag: Europe

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Grateful to Be Here: Bopping Around Paris

Just out of 10 days of COVID isolation in a Helsinki hotel room, we missed our first scheduled night in Paris. But we rallied and made it for the last couple of days. We were never so happy to get on a plane! (Masked.)

Not yet restored to normal energy, we couldn’t go inside anywhere in Paris, so we spent a day or two slow-bopping around the glorious city, taking lots of breaks to rest and people-watch. We spent the first morning walking around with our former exchange student (and Spanish daughter) Laia and her cousin Anna. After they left, we had no agenda, which gave us the opportunity to discover new parks and search for the Love Lock that Lisa had attached on a stairway near Pont Neuf in 2018. (Don’t worry, haters, it was NOT on the bridge but on a sanctioned chain, and she did not throw the key in the Seine!) It was long gone, as the Parisians cut them off regularly, but we found a new place to lock our love.

We also walked around on the Isle de la City, saw the roofless Notre Dame Cathedral (covered with scaffolding and dwarfed by a gargantuan crane), strolled along and even dipped our toes in the Seine, sauntered through the courtyard of the Louvre, ate lunch in a sidewalk café, and visited the booksellers’ kiosks along the Left Bank. When our feet got tired, we caught another Seine River cruise and saw the city’s main attraction, the Eiffel Tower! The 1-hour sightseeing tour on Vedettes du Pont Neuf cost 15 euros each, about $17.

We ended the day with a scrumptious dinner in the Latin Quarter.

Enjoy Photos

INFO

Paris Tourism
Vedettes du Pont Neuf

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Canal Trip of Copenhagen: Or How to Not Get Decapitated

Enjoy a fairly incomprehensible, but still beautiful, tour of the canals of Copenhagen with us! We saw a lot of fascinating sites from the water, including the Little Mermaid (inspired by the Hans Christan Andersen story), the Royal Library of Copenhagen, the Royal Playhouse, the Copenhagen Opera House, the Naval Base, a castle, the Nicholas Tower, and more. Watch out for the low bridges so you don’t get decapitated!

It was a pleasant way to spend a sunny fall afternoon.

The cost was about $16 apiece for a 1-hour guided tour.

Info

Copenhagen
Copenhagen Canal Tours
Map

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City of Lights: Paris at Night from a Bateau Mouche

A glorious full moon competed with the sparkling Eiffel Tower and the sounds of Offenbach’s “Can Can” as we enjoyed a romantic dinner cruise up and down the River Seine on a Bateau Mouche. What a breathtaking experience! Do yourself a favor and splurge on this when you visit Paris.

Bateau Mouche literally translates as “fly boat” (so named because the boats were originally manufactured in boatyards situated in the Mouche area of Lyon), and these boats have been plying the river showing visitors the best views of Paris since 1949, carrying 2.5 million passengers a year on a tour of Paris from what the company calls “Paris’s best avenue of them all: the Seine.”

We reserved in advance, a wise decision, chose an evening dinner tour, and selected the Prestige Dinner menu, which cost us 105 euros each and now costs 115 euros, or about $123. This included a four-course meal, a bottle of wine, and a glass of champagne, as well as live entertainment. If we’d chosen the Excellence Menu for 40 euros more apiece, we would have had window seats and fancier food; instead we were in the middle of the interior dining room, with a great view of the piano and violin duet playing standards. The boat was surrounded by windows, though, and a short trip to the outdoor upper level afforded excellent views. Next time, I believe I will splurge on the window seats.

Thinking of popping the question? You can choose the “Get a Yes in Paris – Marriage Proposal” package starting at 340 euros per person, which includes a chauffeur to the boat, a special table for 2 in the bow, offers a variety of quality champagnes to choose from. Who wouldn’t say yes to a proposal with Moet and Chandon on a bateau mouche in Paris?

Several competing companies provide essentially the same tour, including brunch, lunch, and simple sightseeing tours.

Enjoy Photos

INFO

Paris Tourism
Bateaux Mouches
Offenbach’s Can Can

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Bob’s Tour of Helsinki

Bob spent a day exploring Helsinki, first from aboard a Hop On Hop Off bus, then on foot. He encountered the Helsinki Train Station, Senate Square, HOHO, a traditional spa, the Champs Elysee of Helsinki, the waterfront, a cathedral built by Russia, and more.

He found lunch in a fascinating waterfront market with an amazing array of uniquely Scandinavian offerings (reindeer meat, anyone?), wandered around a port taking in the glorious wooden sailing ships, sauna/swim pools where people dip into the ice-cold water, the Sky Wheel, the Love Locks bridges, and more!

Enjoy Photos

INFO

Visit Finland
Helsinki Guide
Helsinki Hop On-Hop Off bus

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Lisa’s Walking Tour of Helsinki

Fresh off COVID quarantine, Lisa tucked Bob (who just tested positive himself) into a hotel bed in Helsinki and went out and about exploring the city on foot. Still congested but no longer contagious, she stayed mostly outdoors and away from people as she walked through the streets, discovering a famous library, striking sculptures, a distinctive church, and the Helsinki Opera House.

Helsinki is made up of lakes, islands and the Baltic Sea. Its outdoor-oriented culture meant she had to watch out for many runners, bike riders, and people on scooters.

Over the course of a day, she strolled across the soccer field at Helsinki Olympic Stadium, then visited the Sibelius Monument, a welded steel tribute to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius resembles organ pipes, which is one of Helsinki’s most well-known tourist attractions. She enjoyed a cinnamon roll at the famous Café Regatta, a traditional red cottage cafe that has brought a part of Finnish countryside to the middle of Helsinki. Its cafe is famous for fresh cinnamon buns, blueberry pie and other delicacies.

And she visited the unusual Rock Church, or Temppeliaukio Church, an Evangelical Lutheran Church built into a rock. An organist was preparing for a concert and the organ music was mesmerizing.

Enjoy Photos!

Watch for Bob’s tour of Helsinki next.

INFO

Visit Finland
Helsinki Guide
Sibelius Monument
Café Regatta
Rock Church (Temppeliaukio Church)
Helsinki Olympic Stadium

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Helsinki Boat Tour: Is it Better than the HoHo?

Bob managed to grab a spot on a Royal Line Sightseeing boat tour of Helsinki on the very last day of its tourist season. The sky was clear blue, and the crisp early-fall weather was perfect for spending an hour and a half on the Baltic Sea Harbor of this European capital.

With a sun deck above, a bar/restaurant below, and harbor maps laminated to the tables, the boat cruise was an excellent way to get a feel for the city of Helsinki from the viewpoint of its harbor. Highlights included the fortresses that once guarded Helsinki, a church with a lighthouse on top, the Helsinki Zoo, and the jetty where families come to wash their rugs. Seriously!

The tour cost 26 euros, 22 euros for 65 and up, with larger discounts for children and babies. Audio tours were available in a variety of languages. 

Here is how Royal Line describes the tour:

During the 1.5-hour sightseeing cruise, the main historical sights of Helsinki are visited. The large sun decks of sightseeing ships offer the best views of the city from the sea. Behind the memorable cruise, you will hear interesting stories about the history of Finland, wonderful landscapes from the ship’s sun deck and the ships’ professional crew.

The cruises start from the famous Kauppatori, and along the way you will admire, among other things, the beautiful Merisatama, Eira, Kaivopuisto, Kruununhaa beach and the wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site Suomenlinna in its entirety.

During the cruise, you can enjoy the most amazing island scenery on the outer deck of the ship and the atmosphere of the summer terrace with the best sea view. All ships have a café-bar that serves snacks and refreshing refreshments.

Enjoy Photos!

INFO:

Visit Finland
Helsinki Guide
Royal Line Sightseeing Tours

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Tour of Scandinavia, Day 8: Overnight Ferry to Helsinki

As our Tour of Scandinavia began winding to a close, we took an overnight ferry across the Baltic Sea from Stockholm, Sweden, to Helsinki, Finland.

We explored the mini cruise ship as we made our way through the Swedish Archipelago, which encompasses 30,000 islands, at sunset. We arrived in Helsinki on an overcast Friday morning. Enjoy the views in the video and more photos on our blog, messysuitcase.com.

ITINERARY

This is what the TourRadar itinerary listed for the day:

Miércoles, 28 De Septiembre De 2022
STOCKHOLM, FERRY

Stockholm (boarding) –
Scenery: Very beautiful landscapes from the boat leaving Stockholm.

Notes: Tonight we embark on a night cruise; Carry your documentation (will be required when boarding) and prepare hand luggage (luggage will remain in the coach). Do not forget warm clothing to enjoy on the deck of the boat. In Finland, the currency used is the euro, if you do not have Swedish Crowns, there are convenient exchange offices on the ship.

Free day in the most beautiful of the Scandinavian capitals. We recommend walking around the historic center and the island of museums.

17.00hrs.- Transfer to the port of Stockholm. We embark on the modern ferryof the Silja Lines company. Restaurants, bars, nightclub, casino, shops, ample rooms … cruise conditions. Our ship leaves at 19.30 hrs (estimated time at the time of writing this itinerary). The landscapes you can see at the exit of Stockholm are of great beauty (lots of islands). We recommend to enjoy on the deck. Do not forget your camera ! Night on board, double cabins.

Scenery: Very beautiful landscapes from the boat leaving Stockholm.

Notes: Tonight we embark on a night cruise; Carry your documentation (will be required when boarding) and prepare hand luggage (luggage will remain in the coach). Do not forget warm clothing to enjoy on the deck of the boat. In Finland, the currency used is the euro, if you do not have Swedish Crowns, there are convenient exchange offices on the ship.

PHOTOS

INFO:

Stockholm
Silja Lines ferry
Tourradar
Europamundo

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Tour of Scandinavia, Day 7: Touring a Doomed Viking Ship

The Vasa, a Viking warship, makes the Titanic seem like a success story.  It took but a gust of wind to tip and sink the impressive ship, just 20 minutes into its maiden outing, in full view of excited – then horrified – crowds. The Vasa was simply too tall and narrow to be seaworthy. Then it remained submerged in the harbor in Stockholm for 330 years. We learned the whole story of why it was designed as it was, what caused it to sink, and how it was finally raised, in the fascinating Vasa Museum.

Here’s how its website describes the catastrophe:

“What started with church services and a festive atmosphere ended in a watery grave. It was the 10th of August 1628, when Vasa, the most powerful warship in the Baltic, foundered in Stockholm Harbour before the eyes of a large audience, scant minutes after setting sail for the first time.”

Read the rest of the story of how a puff of wind sank a mighty Vasa.  You’ll also find info about how the ship was salvaged in the 1950s.

ITINERARY

This is what the TourRadar itinerary listed for the day:

Day  7. Martes, 27 De Septiembre De 2022
STOCKHOLM

Sightseeing tour of this gorgeous capital city built on 13 interconnected islands. Water is everywhere. We will visit Gamla Stand or the “City between the Bridges”, Stockholm’s Old Town full of life where many of the monumental buildings are located such as the Nobel Museum, located next to Stortorget main square, which pays tribute to the winners of the Nobel Prizes, the Cathedral or the Royal Palace. When possible we can have a nice view from the Fjällgatan viewpoint.

Free time. We advise taking a walk through the City Centre and seeing the museum island. In the afternoon, we offer visitors an optional visit to the Town Hall and the Royal Ship Vasa.

INFO:

Stockholm
Vasa Museum
Vasa Disaster
Tourradar
Europamundo

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Tour of Scandinavia, Days 6 & 7: Stockholm 3 Ways–On Foot, Bus, and Boat!

We spent a couple of days exploring Stockholm, on foot, by guided tour bus, and even from on board a hop on, hop off boat. The picturesque Swedish capital by the Baltic Sea is comprised of 14 islands, with an expanse of water, ornate bridges, and boats to add to its beauty. 

We did a lot of walking on our own, exploring the Parliament, an old fort, the end of the Changing of the Guards, and then climbed on a bus for a very informative tour in English. Our tour guide took us for a stroll around the lovely old city, where Bob was fascinated watching the way they repair cobblestone streets. Join us as we experience the smallest sculpture in Stockholm, the Nobel Museum, the Wooden Horse Museum (because the wooden horse is one of Sweden’s national symbols), the King’s Garden, and Stockholm City Hall where the Nobel Prize Banquet is held each year.

We stayed in a hotel right beside the Avicii Arena, formerly called the Globe because it is The world’s largest spherical building, and the breakfast room overlooked the interior of the arena. On Day 2 in Stockholm, we took a boat tour, visited the Vasa Museum, which houses a 17th-century ship that sunk on its maiden voyage and was raised from the bottom of the bay 300 years later. 

Finally, we found a truly royal place to put our Love Lock!

ITINERARY

This is what the TourRadar itinerary listed for the days:

Day  6. Martes, 27 De Septiembre De 2022

STOCKHOLM

Sightseeing tour of this gorgeous capital city built on 13 interconnected islands. Water is everywhere. We will visit Gamla Stand or the “City between the Bridges”, Stockholm’s Old Town full of life where many of the monumental buildings are located such as the Nobel Museum, located next to Stortorget main square, which pays tribute to the winners of the Nobel Prizes, the Cathedral or the Royal Palace. When possible we can have a nice view from the Fjällgatan viewpoint.

Free time. We advise taking a walk through the centre and seeing the museum island. In the afternoon, we offer visitors an optional visit to the Town Hall and the Royal Ship Vasa.

Images of Stockholm

INFO:

Tourradar
Europamundo
Visit Stockholm
Wooden Horse Museum
Vasa Museum
Nobel Prize Museum
Aviici Arena

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Tour of Scandinavia, Day 5: Oslo to Stockholm in a Whirlwind

We started the day with a rainy tour of Oslo, Norway, which is nestled gracefully on a harbor at the end of a 110-km-long fjord. We walked through a glorious sculpture park, Frognerparken Vigelandsparken, (Vigeland Sculpture Park) with its captivating sculptures and monuments and its amazing flowers in bloom in late September. We’ll share photos of the many sculptures in our blog at messysuitcase.com.

Back on the bus toward Stockholm, we had a couple of hours to stretch our legs in the Swedish town of Orebro and saw a lovely 14th-century palace, Orebro Castle. No time to go in, though! We took an hour to wander the scenic streets, and then hustled back onto the bus to head to Stockholm for dinner and bed.

The whirlwind day gave us a taste for future exploration in Oslo and Orebro.

ITINERARY

This is what the TourRadar itinerary listed for the day:

Day   5. Lunes, 26 De Septiembre De 2022
OSLO, OREBRO, ESTOCOLMO
Total distance: 530 km.

Scenery: Impressive scenery, with mountains, forests and lakes.

Free time to stroll around Oslo before continuing our journey.
11:30 h. – Oslo- Departure. We travel to Sweden with its impressive lakes, dense forests.
13.00 hrs.- After the border crossing, we stopped at a service area for lunch.
17.00 hrs- Orebro- Arrival to this Swedish town next to a beautiful lake with a castle and charming historic center. Time for stroll.
18.00 hrs.- Orebro. Departure.
20.30 hrs.- Arrival in STOCKHOLM in the evening.

Enjoy Photos!

Frognerparken Vigelandsparken, (Vigeland Sculpture Park), Oslo

Swedish town of Orebro

INFO:

Tourradar
Europamundo
Visit Oslo
Vigeland Sculpture Park

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