Damme

We headed out of Brugge today and it was the best thing we could have done to restore our faith in the place.
I'm reserving my judgement on Brugge 'officially' until we leave. I can say here however I have not been wowed by the fairytale....and I feel slightly cheated, a little uncouth... and yes, guilty. I am unappreciative of the immense history under my nose.
Don't get me wrong  I have been here before, albeit 20 years ago, and I loved Brugge. Maybe there were fewer tourists back then? It was definitely pre 'In Brugges' and it was winter. Freezing, desolate and very charming.

Damme was...ok, I am dying to say it, damn good.  It felt like the south of France.  The service and attention to detail were something that is sadly lacking in Brugge (in my humble opinion).  The bike ride out there, only half an hour, was a tonic.  The track runs along a lush green canal lined with poplar trees.  It's completely flat!  My kind of riding and the sun shone.  We stopped in for  coffee and chocolate icrecream at Tante Marie, which I highly recommend and we also took a little look around the museum at St John's Hospital, which incidentally is on the market (see staircase above), set for redevelopment!  The people of Damme are hoping to encourage a younger community to settle there. From Damme we toured on to Oostkerke and then back to Brugge via Koolkerke.  The bike tracks are really well sign posted and it made me think touring Belgium by bike would be a fine idea (Don't laugh Dad)!

xx

Brugge the land of beers, chocolate, friets & expanding waistlines.

Embracing the Flemish culture and all that goes with it..... beers, friets, & chocolate.  It would be sacrilegious not too now, wouldn't it? xx

Amsterdam Airbnb success

We had our first Airbnb experience in Amsterdam and.... sigh, it was a huge success. The apartment was situated in Oost just off the Amstel River. It was 4 stops on the metro (a 50m walk from the apartment) to Central Station. This is just far enough away from the heavy traffic of tourists that flood the centres walkways, in my opinion. We mostly enjoyed walking home via the side streets and discovering some of the more local gems between the apartment and city centre. Our hosts (who lived in the downstairs apartment) were perfectly reliable and hospital without encroaching on our space. The apartment was so tastefully furnished, original artwork hung on the walls and there were flowers and basic provisions to greet us. I could have happily moved in for a month. There was something special about this apartment that made me happy to be there..... even the steep stairs leading up to the apartment added a sense of charm.

Park hopping in Amsterdam

Park hopping was how we rolled today.  Sarphatipark to Frederiks Plein via Hemonystraat and lastly Oosterpark.

Along the way we found the Albert Cuyp Market which reminded me us little of how the South Melbourne Market was back in the day (can I say.... bad fashion? with authentic fruiterers & fish mongers),  Poptasi Pastry for incredible macaroons (it definitely gets the Z man's vote), the fantastic store Hutspot...barber, concept store, fashion, gallery, cafe and yoga studio....uber cool in that Amsterdamian way... and Lobster House where they serve THE most amazing lobster burgers know to man (really)!!  We also came across some pretty impressive secondhand stores around the Oosterpark region, with room upon room of hidden treasures in every nook and cranny.  

Never having been to Amsterdam before the L.F. took himself off for a wander around the Red Light District while Z and I were at Oosterpark.  A sobering experience....one I was happy to forego! 

Quiet days

It was a quiet day exploring the back streets of Amsterdam today. We were all feeling a little weary.  Along the way I did however fall in love with the clothing label Like This and I found the perfect pair of grey  felted 'clog' slippers here.  xx

A Viking good time in Oslo.

It was hard to cull all of my photos from Oslo for this post. There were so many wonderful things about this city I'd love to share here but.... the above will suffice... for now.

We were invited to the most incredible lunch at A's sisters. They live in one of the most beautiful streets in Oslo. Aud cooked everything without onion or garlic for the L.F. and my, what a spread she put on. It was to die for. The food, the apartment and the hospitality! We were totally in love with everything about this place and the people. Thank you A & T for showing us the very best of Oslo it was definitely a highlight for us. An eight hour lunch, in an overwhelmingly beautiful 1880's apartment impeccably renovated (T is an architect who truly loves his work... Monday mornings are a dream for him).   We also took a meander to Vigeland Park ..... which was definitely needed to make room for the second round! Tussen tukk. xx

You can take a walk around the park here and check out what a driven man Gustav Vigelands must have been.  He certainly produced an impressive amount of work in a short time.

The L.F. took us on a hike across town to experience 'true' Norwegian cuisine at Schroders Restaurant. He was determined to experience a slice of Harry Hole's world after reading the Jo Nesbo series. Stodgy Norwegian nosh and beers were the go!  The Apple Cake was a highlight for Z & me.

The L.F. rode 90km's on a hybrid bike, along the scenic route form Saltnes to Oslo, with a 68 year old, 6 time Olympian.....he agreed to the challenge after a couple of wines and it's definitely an experience he wont forget in a hurry.  Needless to say he was very quiet the following day.  Exhausted.

We visited the Viking museum, met up with a friend I hadn't seen in 12 years who has gone from a NY banker to house husband monk (he's loving life in Olso and couldn't be happier), climded the impressive Opera House, wondered the streets and lusted after the houses & managed to walk away from a store full of Norwegian ceramics in Grunerlokka without purchasing any! It took great restraint. Our time was short and there was soooo much more we would have loved to have seen here.....but what we managed in the time we had was perfect.

xx

PS. I neglected to mention that a rather rambunctious games of tiggy in Olaf Ryes Plass, the adventure playground at Vigeland Sculpture Park and many a running race were also highlights of our Olso adventure!

Lunch in Sweden

 <Norway : Sweden>

Bye bye Sweden

We skipped over the border for lunch while we were down in the south east and co-incidentally it happened to be Sweden's National Day. xx