We arrived in Denmark just in time to hear the BIG news. The Princess's name. Just as we landed in Copenhagen the christening took place North of Copenhagen. The Princess was named Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe. It is a beautiful name and a wonderful occasion.
It has been raining every day since we arrived here. Onle a few days with a little bit of sun. It has not been above 20 deg C yet. I'm feeling the cold.
We have stayed with my family in Fausing here in Denmark so far. It was my mothers 70th Birthday on Sunday so we celebrated with a big party on Saturday night. 58 friends and family for a traditional family birthday party. Dinner, dancing, drinking, speeches, songs and other entertainment. Family from Norway and other places in Denmark came and participated as well. David was initiated in to many family traditions and I was reminded of many reasons why I am the way I am. It was great to see them all again and it was a lot of fun.
We have also had time to see some of the tourist attractions in Denmark so far. We visited HC Andersens Hus in Odense and lerned that he wrote many hundred fairy tales and was celebrated and famous as a writer whilst he was alive.
We also visited Gammel Estrup near Fausing, the local castle and agricultural museeum in Denmark was interesting to see. Den Gamle By in Århus was also a wonderful place to spend a few hours and exploring how people lived and worked in the old times. The Glass Muessum in Ebletoft was a modern experience and it was facinating to see how glass is blown and made into amazing art pieces.
David has been visiting a danish friend (Annette) from way back when she was travelling around Australia, she now lives in Denmark with Husband and 3 children. The funny thing is that they live next to my best friends sister and their kids play together. What a small world!
Today we are driving over to the west coast for a few days before going to Copenhagen for the weekend and the Jazz Festival and a night out at Tivoli Garden.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Happening Holland
4 days in Holland with David's aunt Betty and her 6 children and their families, a total of 26 family members. We have been treated to wonderful dutch hospitality and tonight we are invited to a BBQ for the whole family.
We are in Zwijndrecht not far from Rotterdam. Holland is a myriad of canals and reclaimed land. It is amazing how they control the water levels between the various dykes, canals and rivers.
We went to classical old windmills and saw it pumping water from one canal t another and met the miller himself. He lives in the windmill!
Delft is an amazing town rich in history and royal tradition. The old blue and white tiles are amazing to see being made. We enjoyed the traditional mini pancakes poffertjis. Dordrecht is similarly rich in tradition and many leaning old buildings.
We are in Zwijndrecht not far from Rotterdam. Holland is a myriad of canals and reclaimed land. It is amazing how they control the water levels between the various dykes, canals and rivers.
We went to classical old windmills and saw it pumping water from one canal t another and met the miller himself. He lives in the windmill!
Delft is an amazing town rich in history and royal tradition. The old blue and white tiles are amazing to see being made. We enjoyed the traditional mini pancakes poffertjis. Dordrecht is similarly rich in tradition and many leaning old buildings.
Wet & Green in Ireland
It was time to start the family visits and we first went to see David's relatives outside Belfast in Northern Ireland. We visited an uncle and aunt and 2 cousins and their families. The family was invited to a 60th birthday party in Leenan on the westcoast of Ireland for the weekend and in true irish hospitality style we were invited along as well. The drive across the country confirmed that Ireland is indeed the emerald island. It is no joke when they say there are 40 shades of green. The westcoast is rugged, hilly, green and beautiful with stone cottages, castles, waterfalls and lakes. Fresh air and spring water is on the menu every day as well as all the fish and seafood you can think of. It was very wet and rainy during our visite. The wettest June on record. It was a wonderful time for David to catch up with the family and spend quality time with them. We were made to feel very welcome and comfortable.
We continued our drive to Galway where we found a wonderful hotel. The House Hotel
www.thehousehotel.ie It was clear that the staff were dedicated to making you feel at home and they treated us as if were their own house guests. A wonderful experience.
Ireland is a very clean ad tidy place. The houses are well maintained and the gardens are beautiful. Plenty of road works going on and many new houses being built.
Recommendation: enjoy a pint of Guinness whilst reading a book in the House Hotel Lounge. Very relaxing.
We continued our drive to Galway where we found a wonderful hotel. The House Hotel
www.thehousehotel.ie It was clear that the staff were dedicated to making you feel at home and they treated us as if were their own house guests. A wonderful experience.
Ireland is a very clean ad tidy place. The houses are well maintained and the gardens are beautiful. Plenty of road works going on and many new houses being built.
Recommendation: enjoy a pint of Guinness whilst reading a book in the House Hotel Lounge. Very relaxing.
Travelling Trouble
Travelling is something most of us think of as fun and exciting. We have had our fair share of trouble on this trip so far. Nothing serious, but none the less very irritating and distressing at times.
Firstly - David's Suitcase is lost. The suitcase never arrived and is well and truly lost in the international network of airlines. The airline does not declare it lost until 45 days is gone, so there is still hope, but it means that we have had to buy new bags, toiletries and clothes for David. Not much fun when you dislike shopping.
Secondly - Budget airlines. Some of our inter european flights have been with EasyJet. What a mess that was in France. The terminal is a dirty disgrace and the french hopelessly inefficient and slow. The food and drink at the terminal and onboard is overpriced and the service is less then impressive. Many rules for the passengers so it is easier for the airline personnel. Give me Qantas Club any day of the week.
Thirdly - Mobile phones and alarm clocks. We have been using the mobile phone as our alarm clock during the trip and it is important to remember to change the time on the phone to the local time! I got up an hour early for my first day at the conference in Portugal!
Firstly - David's Suitcase is lost. The suitcase never arrived and is well and truly lost in the international network of airlines. The airline does not declare it lost until 45 days is gone, so there is still hope, but it means that we have had to buy new bags, toiletries and clothes for David. Not much fun when you dislike shopping.
Secondly - Budget airlines. Some of our inter european flights have been with EasyJet. What a mess that was in France. The terminal is a dirty disgrace and the french hopelessly inefficient and slow. The food and drink at the terminal and onboard is overpriced and the service is less then impressive. Many rules for the passengers so it is easier for the airline personnel. Give me Qantas Club any day of the week.
Thirdly - Mobile phones and alarm clocks. We have been using the mobile phone as our alarm clock during the trip and it is important to remember to change the time on the phone to the local time! I got up an hour early for my first day at the conference in Portugal!
Lounging in Lisbon
A short stop in Lisbon, Portugal for 5 days. The move from Paris to Lisbon was a bit of a culture chock, Paris being the home of chic and Lisbon being far from that. Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and it is an old and beautiful, but dirty gray & tired city. Portugal is a poor partner in the European Union and it shows. The upside of that is the shopping! The are many shopping centres with a great selection of fashion, jewllery and shoes and it is much cheaper then the rest of Europe. The shops are open to 10 or 11 at night.
The main purpose of Portugal visit was business. I had a conference to attend and David played the role of conference wife. He had plenty of time to go shopping, touring and enjoying the hotel facilities. David reports back that the town on Sintra was historical and very beautiful.
One day when I finished the conference David suggested we go shopping - (very unusual for him to suggest shopping) He had found something he wanted me to see and buy for me. He took me to a Swarowski crystal shop and had some suggestions of jewellery he wanted me to try on. He bought me a beautiful necklace and a set of matching earrings. How special do you think I felt?
We stayed at a hotel that was specially for conferences, and it was super chic, efficient and very nice. I can highly recommend the hotel if you ever go to Lisbon. Check out the Sana Lisboa Park Hotel on www.sanahotels.com
Goddess Travel Recommedation: Order room service dinner and enjoy with a bottle of grand vintage Moet & Chandon Champagne. I love travelling in style!
The main purpose of Portugal visit was business. I had a conference to attend and David played the role of conference wife. He had plenty of time to go shopping, touring and enjoying the hotel facilities. David reports back that the town on Sintra was historical and very beautiful.
One day when I finished the conference David suggested we go shopping - (very unusual for him to suggest shopping) He had found something he wanted me to see and buy for me. He took me to a Swarowski crystal shop and had some suggestions of jewellery he wanted me to try on. He bought me a beautiful necklace and a set of matching earrings. How special do you think I felt?
We stayed at a hotel that was specially for conferences, and it was super chic, efficient and very nice. I can highly recommend the hotel if you ever go to Lisbon. Check out the Sana Lisboa Park Hotel on www.sanahotels.com
Goddess Travel Recommedation: Order room service dinner and enjoy with a bottle of grand vintage Moet & Chandon Champagne. I love travelling in style!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Fabulous France
Who said France is expensive and the french people are rude?
David and I have travelled around France for 10 days.
First 5 days in Paris where we stayed in a cute little apartment in the Latin Quarter. We explored Paris by foot, bus and river boat. What a fantastic city! It is stunning, interesting, surprising and perfect for walking around. The food is fantastic (be careful with the baguettes and croissants) No really it is all very delicious. But we girls have to be careful with the carbs. The coffee is fantastic in the morning and the Rose wine in the afternoon.
David found a book for us: "The best places to kiss in Paris" It made for busy entertainment and we managed to tick off quite a few of the suggestions. It made us look for places we would otherwise not have found or known the history about.
The next 5 days we hired a car and drove around (Champagne, Loire Valley and Normandy). Every Goddess should visit the Champagne district at least once. We visited the Piper Heidseick www.piper-heidsieck.com in Reims. The tour of the underground caves 50 m below ground was fantastic on the little electric car where we experienced the process of making champagne. The tasting was tantalising. We followed the Champagne trail through beautiful countryside and cute villages. Moet & Chandon in Epernay (Had my photo taken with Dom Perignon (statue) the monk that invented Champagne by divine intervention) was also on our list of places to visit. We went on the guided tour and once again we were impressed with the Champagne making process and the extreme care and diligence during the making of a bottle of the effervescent liquid. Again the tasting was amazing. A reserve vintage bottle of this romantic and special liquid was purchased for later enjoyment.
Castle Hunting in the Loire Valley was not what we expected but we did stay at a Manor House from around 1640 for a night and caught up with some friends of David´s for coffee and chocolat au pain. Next exciting place was Le Mont St Michel by the coast. The second most visited place in France (after the Eiffel Tower). A monastery built in the 8th century on a rock formation off the coast it was amazing to discover the buildings and construction. A haven of tranquility and history. Next stop was Les Pieux near the top of Normandy, where we met with Sinead from the Wilde Kitchen www.wildekitchen.net at the Town hall at 9.30am for market shopping before the cooking class started in her home and business. The menu was Mediterranean inspired and fun to make. David and I worked with Sinead in the kitchen and created a wonderful 4 course lunch. When it was time to sit down and enjoy we were joined by Grandma, niece and husband and kids came home for a few hours at the middle of the day. Stories of the French was was told and we laughed and listened in amazement.
That night we stayed at the idyllic town of Honfleurs with it´s winding street and old wooden beams and clay buildings. The most tranquil harbour was the backdrop for our evening walk and supper.
After visiting Monet's Garden at Giverny one can see why Claude Monet was inspired to paint flowers and the Japanese Water garden. Very peaceful and to this day reflects the beautiful paintings so well known by Monet. Heading off to Chateau D´Ermenonville North of Paris for our overnight Castle experience. We had our own moat with ducks and white swans! The former home of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The breakfast buffet was stunning with freshly squeezed oranges. www.jpmoser.com/chateau_d_ermenonville.html We had dinner at the local hotel restaurant and what an experience that was. It was a country hotel the old fashioned way! The meat was cooked over a massive open fire place. It was entertaining and delicious.
In Summary: France is fantastic! Not expensive and no rude French people
Just flew in to Portugal Lisbon on 17 June
David and I have travelled around France for 10 days.
First 5 days in Paris where we stayed in a cute little apartment in the Latin Quarter. We explored Paris by foot, bus and river boat. What a fantastic city! It is stunning, interesting, surprising and perfect for walking around. The food is fantastic (be careful with the baguettes and croissants) No really it is all very delicious. But we girls have to be careful with the carbs. The coffee is fantastic in the morning and the Rose wine in the afternoon.
David found a book for us: "The best places to kiss in Paris" It made for busy entertainment and we managed to tick off quite a few of the suggestions. It made us look for places we would otherwise not have found or known the history about.
The next 5 days we hired a car and drove around (Champagne, Loire Valley and Normandy). Every Goddess should visit the Champagne district at least once. We visited the Piper Heidseick www.piper-heidsieck.com in Reims. The tour of the underground caves 50 m below ground was fantastic on the little electric car where we experienced the process of making champagne. The tasting was tantalising. We followed the Champagne trail through beautiful countryside and cute villages. Moet & Chandon in Epernay (Had my photo taken with Dom Perignon (statue) the monk that invented Champagne by divine intervention) was also on our list of places to visit. We went on the guided tour and once again we were impressed with the Champagne making process and the extreme care and diligence during the making of a bottle of the effervescent liquid. Again the tasting was amazing. A reserve vintage bottle of this romantic and special liquid was purchased for later enjoyment.
Castle Hunting in the Loire Valley was not what we expected but we did stay at a Manor House from around 1640 for a night and caught up with some friends of David´s for coffee and chocolat au pain. Next exciting place was Le Mont St Michel by the coast. The second most visited place in France (after the Eiffel Tower). A monastery built in the 8th century on a rock formation off the coast it was amazing to discover the buildings and construction. A haven of tranquility and history. Next stop was Les Pieux near the top of Normandy, where we met with Sinead from the Wilde Kitchen www.wildekitchen.net at the Town hall at 9.30am for market shopping before the cooking class started in her home and business. The menu was Mediterranean inspired and fun to make. David and I worked with Sinead in the kitchen and created a wonderful 4 course lunch. When it was time to sit down and enjoy we were joined by Grandma, niece and husband and kids came home for a few hours at the middle of the day. Stories of the French was was told and we laughed and listened in amazement.
That night we stayed at the idyllic town of Honfleurs with it´s winding street and old wooden beams and clay buildings. The most tranquil harbour was the backdrop for our evening walk and supper.
After visiting Monet's Garden at Giverny one can see why Claude Monet was inspired to paint flowers and the Japanese Water garden. Very peaceful and to this day reflects the beautiful paintings so well known by Monet. Heading off to Chateau D´Ermenonville North of Paris for our overnight Castle experience. We had our own moat with ducks and white swans! The former home of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The breakfast buffet was stunning with freshly squeezed oranges. www.jpmoser.com/chateau_d_ermenonville.html We had dinner at the local hotel restaurant and what an experience that was. It was a country hotel the old fashioned way! The meat was cooked over a massive open fire place. It was entertaining and delicious.
In Summary: France is fantastic! Not expensive and no rude French people
Just flew in to Portugal Lisbon on 17 June
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Airports and planes
It is a wonder we made it this far!!!
You will never believe what happened when we arrived at Perth Airport on Wednesday afternoon for our mid-afternoon flight.....
We got the e-tickets out and found out that David and I were not on the same flight. :-{ David was supposed to have left on a morning flight. Ups..... A lot of talking went on with the Qantas people and David managed to get on the same flight as me and we even got to sit together. Horrible moments of stress was experienced. That is the kind of stress I can do without. But maybe this will prove to be way more exciting then I had envisaged.
Flying is just the same old boring event. Nothing changes there. Movies, magazines and talking makes the time go by. It is so nice to have a travel partner.
We are in London Heathrow airport at the moment. Arrived at 5am. Yarn... That is really early. Thankfully we are in the British Airways lounge, so it is comfortable for us. We are waiting on a flight to 'gay Paris'
Love & Light
Mette & David
You will never believe what happened when we arrived at Perth Airport on Wednesday afternoon for our mid-afternoon flight.....
We got the e-tickets out and found out that David and I were not on the same flight. :-{ David was supposed to have left on a morning flight. Ups..... A lot of talking went on with the Qantas people and David managed to get on the same flight as me and we even got to sit together. Horrible moments of stress was experienced. That is the kind of stress I can do without. But maybe this will prove to be way more exciting then I had envisaged.
Flying is just the same old boring event. Nothing changes there. Movies, magazines and talking makes the time go by. It is so nice to have a travel partner.
We are in London Heathrow airport at the moment. Arrived at 5am. Yarn... That is really early. Thankfully we are in the British Airways lounge, so it is comfortable for us. We are waiting on a flight to 'gay Paris'
Love & Light
Mette & David
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