Posted by Paul Groves on April 30, 2019

HAL 2019 World – Days 95-96 Sea Day & Copenhagen, Denmark

Today we’re off to see “The Best of Copenhagen”

What better place to begin our tour than at the statue of the world famous “Little Mermaid”.  The bronze statue on its rock wasn’t as big as I thought is was.   A few photos and then back on the bus.

After a short drive we arrived at “Amalienborg”, the home of the Danish royal family.  Their “home” is composed of 4 identical buildings around a central plaza.  The first building we saw was the home of Crown Prince Frederik (we knew he was there as the Danish flag was flying above it).  The Queen’s home was next but she is not currently living there.  The current monarch is Queen Margrethe II.  The other two buildings are for guests and a museum.

Patrolling outside the Prince’s home were several armed guards.

Again, after a few more photos, we were off to our next stop: “Christiansborg Palace”.  Today the palace is the seat of the Danish Parliament ( Folketinget ), the Danish Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark.  It is often used by the Queen and government officials as a reception hall for guests and dignitaries.  We were required to wear plastic booties when touring to protect the floors and carpets.

One of the first rooms we visited was a reception room.

Then we visited the dining room where we saw one of the first sets of Royal Copenhagen dinnerware in the Flora Danica pattern made around 1790.  This is still used for state occasions.  In the carpet was woven the Danish Coat of Arms.

The Queen’s library was two floors high and contains original copies of Danish authors including Hans Christian Andersen.  Permission from the Queen is needed before it can be used for any event such as serving an elegant lunch to visiting dignitaries.

The Great Hall is 120 ft long with 30 ft ceilings.  It was renovated on the occasion of Queen Margrethe II’s 60th birthday when artist Bjørn Nørgaard’s 17 tapestries recounting the history of Denmark were hung on the walls. The tapestry for the current century is very popular because it shows famous events as well as having recognizable famous people woven around its edge.

The next stop was at the Tivoli Gardens that first opened in 1843.  It has gardens, lots of restaurants, and an amusement park area.  It’s about the size of one of the lands at Disneyland.  It is said here that Walt Disney used many of the Tivoli ideas when developing Disneyland.

Sprinkled throughout the park are three or four stages.  All of them had entertainment going on at the same time so they were very busy.

In the amusement park area they had the modern rides but also some old fashioned rides as well.  We really liked the old fashioned kid’s boat ride.  

We spent a hour or so here and then moved on to the last portion of our excursion, the canal ride!  When we arrived at the canal boat, we noticed a very surprising plaque on a nearby wall.  The building along the canal was the birthplace of the famous Danish physicist/chemist and Nobel Prize winner, Niel’s Bohr.  Paul has been teaching about “the Bohr atom” for years.

We boarded our boat and toured the city’s canals for about an hour.  Our “Captain” looked like he just got out of high school.  In all of the canals we saw little boats called “GOBOAT”s.  These little boats are made out of recycled plastics and have a small table installed in the middle of them.  On weekends there are so many of them you can hardly move around.  Looks like the people on board have a good time.

We also saw some beautiful buildings located on the canal:  the Royal Library (Danish: Det Kongelige Bibliotek)also called the “Black Diamond” (this new library was built in front of the old one which is still used and connected via a bridge); The Copenhagen Opera House (Danish: Operaen) is the national opera house of Denmark; and, the Royal Danish Playhouse (Danish: Skuespilhuset).

Along the way we saw some interesting spires/steeples.  The first spire is composed of the tails of four dragons!  This was located on the Old Stock Exchange (Danish: Børsen).

The second steeple was the helix-shaped tower on “The Church of Our Saviour” (Danish: Vor Frelsers Kirke). The staircase is built on the outside of the steeple and is open to the public for climbing.  Not for the faint of heart.

Lastly, the curious shaped building is the city trash incinerator (Danish: Amager Bakke) that doubles as a year-round artificial ski slope, hiking slope and climbing wall.  Our guide told us there are plans for restaurants as well.  A special feature of this facility is that the chimney does not emit its exhaust continuously, but instead in the form of “smoke rings” (consisting of water vapour rather than actual smoke).

We conveniently finished our canal tour right back at the ship.

Later that night we attended a private concert put together by Conor, a keyboardist with the onboard band, and, Michael, the onboard bandleader.  Tickets were available only if you donated money during the silent auction event last month. Both musicians are extremely talented and played about an hour of music, most of which was improvised and by request.  

All in all it was a good day.

Posted by Paul Groves on April 27, 2019

HAL 2019 World – Day 94 Amsterdam, Holland

Today we reached the ship’s home port of Amsterdam.  When you think of Holland, you think of several things: windmills, wooden shoes, tulips, and cheese.  Today’s excursion had them all and was called “Windmills & Edam”.

First we visited the town of Edam.  It’s a small town riddled with picturesque canals and houses.  Years ago it was a bustling cheese making (Edam of course) town but very little cheese is made here today.  We only saw one cheese store on our trip however we didn’t have time to buy any.

We saw a second shop in a beautifully decorated building but it has gone out of business.

However in front of the building was a metal sculpture of cheese vendors who used to carry their cheese to the market using cheese sledges. 

After some further time looking at other buildings, we moved on to the windmill park of Zaanse Schans.  Here there about seven working windmills and other attractions.

The first place we visited was the wooden shoe making store.  Shoes used to be made by hand and took several hours for one pair.  Now they use machines and a pair can be made in approximately 10 minutes.

After watching the demonstration we were given a little free time for souvenir buying.  Anyone want a pair of clogs?  We also saw some pretty fancy ones.  Of course we had to stop for a photo at the giant shoes.

We then proceeded to the windmills.  The windmill we visited is used to make limestone dust/powder for commercial use.  The limestone rock is poured on to the grinding surface and a set of huge wheels are run over it until it reaches a powder consistency.  The grinding wheels are driven by the wind.   The powder is then bagged for shipment.  A smaller set of wheels are used to grind colored stones into dust for used as pigment powder for artist’s paints.  Other windmills are still grinding wheat to make flour or working as an active sawmill.

We were feeling a little hungry so we stopped at the bakery for a Dutch Syrup Waffle called “Stroopwafel”.  It’s two thin waffles with syrup pressed between them.  Sorry, but we ate them before we thought about taking a picture.

By now it was time to head back to the ship.

Later That Day….

Holland America Line sponsored a special event for us.  They had a special closed door party at the Rijks Art Museum.  The entire museum was open only for us.  A band played music all night, snacks were in abundance, and free wine and soft drinks were served.  Also the entire art collection was open for viewing!  

Paul and I had a glass of wine then proceeded to listen to an interesting lecture on Rembrandt.  This was great as we then toured the special Rembrandt collection that was being shown this year.  Public tickets for this collection have been sold out for months.

Two of the paintings the Lecturer mentioned were the young and old self portraits demonstrating different techniques he used over the years. 

We also got to view one of the other familiar paintings call “The Syndics”. You probably remember them from “Dutch Masters” cigar boxes.

The main attraction was the huge painting we call “Night Watch”.  A special room was set aside just for this painting.  Rembrandt’s use of color and light really enhances the viewing experience.  Paintings by many of Rembrandt’s contemporaries often look dull, posed, and lifeless compared to similar paintings by Rembrandt.  This painting has a real feeling of action.  It was a great pleasure to see this masterpiece in person.

Down the hall was another great painting called “The Milkmaid” painted by one of Ron’s favorite artists, Johannes Vermeer.  

Having seen many of these paintings in movies, TV programs, books, etc., it was a real privilege to see them in real life.  Thank you, Holland America.

Posted by Paul Groves on April 27, 2019

HAL 2019 World – Day 93 Zeebruge, Belgium – Ypres: In Flanders Fields

Today is all about remembrance and the price of war.

During WWI, the city of Ypres was a major objective of capture by the Germans.  Defending the city was a large contingent of British Commonwealth soldiers.  The city was totally destroyed as was every other village in the area.  It’s reconstruction was paid for as part of German reparations.

Our first stop today was the Tyne Cot cemetery.  The cemetery is located on territory held by German soldiers during the war.  There are still three German pillboxes located here.  I’ve included a picture of what the cemetery looked like back in 1918.  The back wall of the cemetery is the list of those who fought here but have no known grave.  There are over 35,000 names on the walls.  Looking over the grounds into the countryside, it’s hard to imagine that it was totally covered with trenches and barbed wires.

One of the three pillboxes had been turned into a medical dressing station at the end of the war.  The “Sword of Service” memorial was built on top it.  Today was ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day and a memorial service had just completed when we arrived. We were able to see several attendees in uniform.

Approximately 12,000 men are buried here.  The insignia of their military unit is carved on their headstone. Many wreathes are still being laid here with very touching dedications.

Our next stop was Essex Farm Cemetery.  It was here that Lt Colonel John McCrae wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Fields” after witnessing the burial of his friend.  His friend’s grave is now lost.

The cemetery was a location of another medical dressing station housed in a concrete bunker. The large room may have been the surgery. 

This cemetery houses the grave of V J Strudwick, one of the youngest to serve and die at the age of 15.  He lied about his age when he joined the army.  Today visitors from all over leave toys and stuffed animals at his gravesite. 

From here we drove to the town of Ypres.  The huge “Cloth Hall” in the center of the city now houses the “In Flanders Fields” museum. It is a multi floor museum with great exhibits such as the exhibit of American soldiers uniform kit.  Another great exhibit was the video display of actors portraying soldiers relating their experiences in the war.  Very touching.

At the end of the building was another WWI memorial.  The center panel of this memorial is very moving.  Here’s a sample of the wreathes that were laid in front.

Our final stop was at the “Menin Gate” a short walking distance from the city center.  This imposing structure contains the names of another 54,000 commonwealth soldiers who have no known grave.  The roadway at each entrance is closed at 8:00 pm every evening and the “Last Post” (British version of Taps) is played.  This tradition has continued since the gate was built in 1927.  The only time the music hasn’t been played is when the city was in German hands during WWII.

A solemn day.

Posted by Paul Groves on April 27, 2019

HAL 2019 World – Day 93 Zeebrugge, Belgium – Bruges

Once again we took separate excursions.  Ron was interested in the WWI site and took an excursion entitled, “Ypres, In Flanders Field” while Paul took an excursion called “Romantic Bruges”.

Bruges is a picturesque community located about 30 minutes from our port with many well preserved or restored buildings, parks, and canals.  Belgium is known for its chocolates, it waffles, its beautiful lace and its beer.  My goal was to experience three of these four items (I don’t really go in for lace).

This was a walking tour.  Care always has to be taken for cars and for tourists who suddenly stop to take a picture, but we added bicycles to this list of dangers.  Quite a few people travel through town this way.  Listening for the tinkle of a bicycle bell approaching from behind was a useful safety precaution.  This view of the market square offers a good chance to see the unique architecture of this city.  Tall buildings with stepped roofs, decorated facades, and lots of windows was common in many of the buildings we saw.

The streets were often narrow and lined with colorful buildings.  Some huge beautiful homes once owned by people who made their fortunes in trade still exist, but have been turned into restaurants or hotels.  We can still see remnants of the guilds on some of the buildings such as the shoemakers symbol on this building that now houses McDonalds.

Walking past the shops we saw beautiful examples of lace and this one display of how lace is made.  In the past girls went to one of many schools in the town to learn this skill to augment the household income, but today only one school still exists in the town and lace making is mostly a hobby.  On our walk we did pass a map of the city made entirely of lace.  It was a little difficult on read, but impressive to see.

After walking, we had a ride on the canal.  Many boats were cruising up and down the canals because it is an excellent way to view the interesting buildings, churches, and homes that border the canal.  This brick building with its red window sashes really caught my eye.  

We passed a tall woodenbuilding which is a great example of what early buildings looked like, but as these buildings inevitably burned down they were replaced with brick structures.

The canals are often crossed by these pretty stone bridges.  We had to wait once in awhile however to get our turn to pass under the bridges since only one boat would fit at a time.

After the boat ride, we had some free time.  I stopped for a Belgian Waffle with strawberries and whipped cream, but caramel or chocolate or powdered sugar or Nutella were other options.  A waffle and a cup of coffee made a nice snack.  I could have chosen “frites” or French Fries, but here in Europe they are usually eaten with mayonnaise rather that ketchup.  Another popular sauce is Andalouse which was described to me as tasting like tartar sauce and mayonnaise and is made of mayonnaise, tomato paste and peppers.  This sauce is a Belgian specialty.

I visited several shops and found a nice chocolate shop (there were many to choose from).  I bought two boxes of pralines, which we would have called truffles, to bring back to the ship.  Unfortunately, none of the candies will make it back to the USA.  My shop even had chocolate beer, but I did not buy any of that.

Finally, I stopped at a cafe and bought a beer to have while waiting for the guide and the other guests to arrive at the meeting point.  Earlier in the day we saw a Beer Museum.  Our guide told us that there is also a Chocolate Museum and a French Fry Museum.  Oh, so many treats and so little time.  

We walked back to the bus and returned to the ship.  On the canal boat ride I did see this pair of swans (who mate for life, by the way) that made me remember the name of this tour, Romantic Bruges.

Posted by Paul Groves on April 26, 2019

HAL 2019 World – Days 91-92 Sea Day & Cherbourg, France – Bayeux Tapestry

Today’s trip fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams: to see the Bayeux Tapestry.  I’ve been a long time fan of British history.  

The drive to Bayeux took about an hour and a half.  Along the highway were signs indicating the upcoming exits for some major WWII sites.  Our guide also pointed out the fields that were used as drop zones for paratroopers on D-Day.

We arrived in Bayeux and immediately went to the museum to see the tapestry.  

The tapestry is about 230 feet long and displayed behind glass in a humidity and temperature controlled environment.  In it’s long history it has not been treated very well and at one time it was used to cover soldiers carts and was almost cut up before someone rescued it.

The tapestry tells the story of the French Duke William of Normandy and the English Duke Harold Godwinson through the battle of Hastings in 1066 AD when William became the King of England.  Two of the scenes are shown below.  The top scene is the most important as it supposedly shows Harold pledging his allegiance to William should William ever become king.  The bottom scene shows William’s invasion fleet after he found out that Harold had been made king.  The tapestry was commissioned by William’s half brother, Bishop Odo, and completed around 1077 AD.

After viewing the tapestry and listening to a description of each scene, I went upstairs to the museum that exhibited the materials that were used to create it and the sewing methods used.  If you look closely at the two pictures above you can see the stitching described below.

When I finished at the museum, it was time for lunch.  I found a small out of the way shop and had a slice of their quiche of the day (ham and cheese) and a chocolate Nutella crepe for desert.

In the afternoon we visited the Bayeux Cathedral.  It is said that the tapestry was hung from the 2nd floor balcony for all to see.

One scene painted on the wall and recently restored was the murder of Archbishop Becket in Canterbury by English knights during Henry II’s reign in England.  Our guide indicated that the scene was painted because of donations to the cathedral by Becket’s mother.

I also saw a large memorial plaque for the British who died in WWII.  After we finished our tour of the cathedral we drove by the Bayeux War Cemetery containing over 4,100 graves of British Commonwealth soldiers.  A memorial across the road lists the names of 1,800 soldiers who died but have no known grave.   Britain is well regarded here as Bayeux was the first city to be liberated by the British during the Battle of Normandy shortly after D-Day.  After the drive by we headed back to the ship.

Our guide and bus driver surprised us with a quick drive by the church in Sainte-Mère-Église.  This is where a paratrooper’s parachute caught on the spire of the town church.  He could only observe the fighting going on below. He hung there limply for two hours, pretending to be dead, before the Germans took him prisoner. The incident was portrayed in the movie “The Longest Day” by actor Red Buttons.